Naruto uzumaki : The greatest prodigy
by Namikaze7777
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto, the great grandson of Hasirama senju from his mother's side and the great grandson of madara uchiha. Senju, Uchiha and Uzumaki blood courses through the veins of The greatest prodigy. Strong! serious sharingan naruto, older than rookies.
1. Chapter 1

**Naruto Uzumaki : The Greatest Prodigy**

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

 **Author Note: Hello everyone, this story is my first attempt on writing a fanfic. I have decided to write this fanfic because I couldn't find many Naruto fanfics with a good plot and story that is complete. In this story, Naruto will be a calm and serious type of person, both in his personal and professional life. He will be three or four years older than all the rookies. There will be some change in characters age. The story will follow the canon storyline with some changes of my liking, after some chapters. You guys could also share some of your ideas for the story.**

 **You can enjoy the story now, thank you!**

* * *

 **"Talking" - Bijuu & summoning**

 _ **'Thinking'**_ **\- Bijuu and summoning**

 _'Thinking'_ \- Person inner thoughts

"Talking" - Normal human

* * *

 **(I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does)**

* * *

 ** _(Prologue)_**

10th of October, in the dead of the night, the most powerful Bijuu, Kyūbi no Kitsune, attacked the Hidden Village of Konohagakure no Sato. Disaster struck as no one was able to stop the rampaging Bijuu, many Shinobi lost their lives in the process while almost half of the village was destroyed.

That was until one man, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, placed his life on the line to defeat the Bijuu and save his village. In the end, he was able to stop the Kyūbi by sealing the Bijuu in a new born baby, his own son, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, making him the next Jinchuriki of said Bijuu. Though, this was at the cost of his and his wife's life, leaving the boy to be raised alone.

* * *

 ** _( Six Years Later )_**

The wind was blowing gently as a young boy sat atop the Hokage Monument. His shoulder-length spiky blond hair was blowing gently behind him, bangs covering the right side of his face as his bright blue eyes were shining from the suns rays. His skin was fair and his most noticeable features were the three whisker markings on each cheek. His signature of being a Jinchuriki. He was wearing a navy blue long sleeve T-shirt with grey pants that ended just above his ankles, blue Shinobi sandals to add to it.

This boy's name was Naruto Uzumaki, a six-year-old and the Jinchuriki of the most powerful Bijuu, the Kyūbi no Kitsune. He was overlooking the village as he thought. He always did like to come up to this place to think and relax; it has always been a peaceful place for him.

Two weeks ago, the Third Hokage told him that he has submitted his admissions form for joining the ninja academy, and now, from tomorrow on, he will be going to the academy to become a Shinobi. His dream is to become the Hokage so that he can protect the village he loves so dearly. Along with his dream, he wishes to surpass the Fourth Hokage and get acknowledged by everyone as someone, someone important.

He knows the villagers don't like him much for reasons unknown to him and His Jiji also won't tell him. Every time he asks, the answer always remains the same. "I will tell you when you are old enough to know the truth."

He had already started his basic ninja training two years ago and his Jiji has helped him with some basic Taijutsu techniques. He is very good with Shuriken Jutsu and Kunai throwing as he had also trained his body quite well for speed and quick reflexes. From tomorrow on, he is going to take his first step towards his dream.

He was still nervous just thinking about it. Normally he was very calm and insightful, it all starting from a young age, showing noticeable maturity and knowledge on how to deal with complex situations. At the same time, he is still a young boy so it shouldn't come as a surprise to him to feel nervous.

He lets out a sigh as he comes back from his thoughts. Blinking, he looks up, noticed that it was already dark as the sky was starting to fill with stars. He hadn't realized how long he had been sitting there.

He was so lost in his confused thoughts that he didn't realize that a person was coming towards him from behind until the person spoke. "Aah, I knew I'd find you here, Naruto-Kun."

At hearing that voice, Naruto turned around and saw his surrogated grandfather, Sarutobi Hiruzen the Third Hokage of Konoha, standing with a kind smile. He was wearing his formal Hokage robes as his skin was light pale, grey hair slightly mussed. His face had wrinkles and liver spots, signifying his old age.

"What are you doing here Jiji? I thought you'd be busy with your paperwork." Naruto asked, surprise.

On hearing about paperwork, Hiruzen's face twitches a little before he composed himself. "Don't talk about my paperwork, Naruto-Kun, I swear it's a bane for all Kages."

Naruto just shook his head and turned around, looking over the village again, seeing the streetlights starting to light up. Hiruzen walked over and stood beside him before asked with concern. "Is something on your mind, Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto knew that he could always talk about anything with his surrogate grandfather, he was always concerned about him and helped him whenever he was in need. He also took him out to Ichiraku's for ramen whenever he could. He always looked for Naruto's best. Most importantly though, he is the only person he has in his life.

Turing his face in Hiruzen's direction, Naruto replied. "I'm just a little nervous, tomorrow is going to be my first day in the academy and first steps towards my dream. I am scared, scared of failures."

Listening to him, Hiruzen asked. "What is your dream, Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto was quite for sometime before answered him, "I want to become a Shinobi among Shinobi, strongest of them all and surpass all the previous Hokage's, becoming the strongest of them all."

"That is quite a big dream you have there, Naruto-Kun." Said Hiruzen, a gentle smile gracing his face. He knew that Naruto was a very talented kid, far more mature than the other kids his age. Hearing him say that he wanted to become Hokage, Hiruzen was happy for him.

"Why do you want to become the Hokage?"

"I want to become the Hokage so that I can protect the village, the village which the previous Hokage's, along with many Shinobi, have given their lives to protect. Then everyone will respect me and acknowledge me as someone." Naruto said, his voice firm and eyes determined.

Hiruzen, hearing this from a six-year-old boy and seeing the determination in his young eyes, was very impressed. To think that such a young boy can have a mind set like this at such a young age. At that moment, Hiruzen though about the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, how proud he would be if he saw Naruto, his only son, and how well he is growing up as a person.

Hiruzen knew that he was going to tell Naruto about his parents very soon. There was also the truth about the nine tails being sealed inside of him. Sooner or later, he will have to tell him about everything.

Getting out of his thoughts, he turned to his side with a big smile on his face.

"I'm impressed Naruto-Kun, you're only six and know what it takes to be a Hokage. You already possess the Will of Fire." Hiruzen said with pride, gentleness, and pride shining in his old eyes.

Naruto looked confused, not understanding what his Jiji was trying to imply. "The Will of fire? What does that mean?"

Seeing his confused face, Hiruzen smile turned small as he turned around and looked over his village. "The village is a big family. In here, everyone is family, the desire to protect one's family builds thicker and stronger bonds between everyone in the village. That is what the Will of Fire means. That is the job of the Hokage and every Shinobi of the village. It is why we protect each other and our home. Now you understand Naruto-Kun. What it means to be a Shinobi and what it means to be the Hokage."

Now understanding what it means to be a Shinobi and what it means to be the Hokage, He smiles slightly. He looks over the village, seeing people walking the lightly lit streets, happily chatting with each other.

'Family... You always protect your family.' Now, most importantly, realizing what the village means, he knew what he had to do in his life.

Turning around to face the Hokage, Naruto said. "I promise you Jiji that I will protect this peace. I will protect this village. I will do everything in my power to keep this place like this and protect my home. Should anyone try to harm it, whether they are my comrade, friend, even my family, I will show no mercy to them in defending it. I give you my word, Jiji". Naruto said, a strong conviction in his voice.

Hiruzen's eyes were lightly wide as he was shocked at the words and promise Naruto made to him. 'You were meant for great things Naruto-Kun, I can see it just by looking at you.' Thought Hiruzen as his face mellows into a loving smile.

Hiruzen patted Naruto's should. "You will be a great Shinobi and an even greater Hokage, Naruto-Kun, I believe in you."

Naruto's face brightened with a big smile at hearing his Jiji say he believes in him. "Thank you, old man! I won't let you down!"

Hiruzen was happy to see Naruto happy. He then looks up, seeing the sky and realized it was getting late. Looking over to Naruto, Hiruzen continues. "Come now, Naruto-Kun, it's getting late and tomorrow is going to be your first day at the academy. You don't want to be late on your first day because of waking up late, do you?"

"Hai, Jiji." Said Naruto, he really doesn't want to be late on his first day in the academy.

"Come on, I'll treat you Ichiraku's for dinner." Said Hiruzen, Naruto happily complied and started to walk down the monument with his Jiji.

* * *

 **( Ichiraku's Stand )**

The walk there was rather quiet, Naruto and Hiruzen just observed the lightly lit streets with people going walking to and fro. Now, coming to stop at the Ichiraku's ramen stand, they both went inside and sat on the stools in front of the counter. Hiruzen cleared his throat to get the attention of Teuchi, the owner of the shop, who turned around at hearing the noise.

Coming over to the counter, he sees his favourite customer sitting with the Third Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, Naruto-Kun, it's been a while. How are you both?" Teuchi asked, directing his question to Naruto.

"It's hasn't been that long, old man. I've been busy with my training." Responded Naruto, a small smile on his lips. He knew Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, had always treated him well, considering him their best customer and sometimes even giving him free ramen on special occasions. He noticed that he also cared for him as he often asked him what was going on if he hadn't seen him in a while or if he was feeling down.

"So, what will you have Hokage-sama? Naruto?" Asked Teuchi.

"I'll have one bowl of pork ramen, please." Said Hiruzen.

"I'll have the usual, old man," Naruto said calmly.

"One pork ramen and one Naruto special coming right up." Said Teuchi as he walked to the back to prepare the ramen.

After some time, Teuchi came back with two hot ramen bowls and set them in front of the two. Without wasting any time, both Naruto and Hiruzen with a quick "Itadakimasu" before happily digging into their separate bowls.

The three were chatting with each other for a while until a new voice got their attention. "Naruto-Kun, Hokage-sama, how are you?" They soon found Ayame coming around the counter and standing with her father, the voice coming from her. She greeted them with a big happy smile on her face. She is 11 years old with long, dark brown hair and large black eyes, her skin fair. She was wearing a white robe with the sleeves folded, a sort of dark apron tied at the top and a bright bandanna.

"I'm fine Ayame-chan, how are you?" Hiruzen asked the happy girl with a gentle smile

"I'm also fine Hokage-sama," Replied Ayame before she turned towards Naruto and placing her elbows on the counter. Leaned forward, she asked him. "So Naruto, tomorrow's going to be your first day at the ninja academy, are you done with your preparing?"

Naruto nodded and replied, "Hai Ayame-nee-chan, I'm finished with all the preparation."

"That's good Naruto, do well with your academics." Said Ayame. Naruto replied with a nod. "I will."

"Yeah brat, become strong and make us proud," Teuchi said.

Hiruzen smiled at seeing the interaction between them. He was happy that Naruto was able to create a bond with some people. He just hoped that he could also create some special bonds with children around his age.

Seeing that Naruto had finished his ramen. Hiruzen stood up. "Well, Teuchi, your ramen is as delicious as ever but we should get going now."

Naruto soon stood up as well, thanking the father and daughter for the ramen, who in return wished him luck happily. All the while, Hiruzen placed the money on the counter and walk out of the small restaurant with Naruto.

They walked the street in silence until they arrived at Naruto's apartment. "Well Naruto-Kun, get a good nights rest and don't be late tomorrow, alright?"

"Hai Jiji, I'll be on time." Replied Naruto.

Hiruzen nodded, satisfied, and said: "I'll be going now, good night Naruto-Kun, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night Jiji." Replied Naruto before Hiruzen left the apartment building.

After that, Naruto went inside his small apartment, which was decent and clean, and went towards his bathroom to freshen up before getting changed for bed. After finishing getting ready, Naruto went to bed, setting up his alarm clock for 5:00 am and went to sleep.

* * *

 **( Next Morning )**

The next morning, Naruto woke up from the sound of his alarm clock ringing. He looked at the clock and thought that he still had some time before the academy started. He decided to get ready and went towards the bathroom to finish his morning routine.

After cleaning up, Naruto came out from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He dried himself with another towel as he grabbed his clothes. He wore high collar half sleeve navy blue t-shirt with the Uzumaki clan symbol, black pants and ninja sandals with it. He looked at himself in the mirror, seeing he looked decent and attractive.

He then decided to check the academy books that the Third Hokage had bought him before placing them in his school bag. After he was done, he looked at the clock and noticed that he still had some time before he had to go to the academy.

Seeing as he still had time left, he went into the kitchen to prepare himself some eggs and toasts with milk for breakfast. Preparing breakfast soon reminded him of the time Jiji had taught him how to cook.

Finishing preparing his breakfast, he went towards his dining table to eat. While eating, he decided to read a book on sealing for beginners, which was given to him by the Third Hokage when he showed his interest in the sealing arts.

He really wanted to know more about the sealing arts after learning that the 2nd and 4th Hokage were very good at that art. He hadn't started practicing making the seals yet. The Hokage had warned him not to practice seals alone until getting a good understanding of it, along with making his handwriting better.

Finishing his breakfast, he placed the book aside and went to wash his dishes. Soon finishing, he looked at the clock again and noticed that it was finally almost time for the academy to start. He went over and picked up his bag, walked out of the house and locking the door behind him.

He decided to roof jump, seeing at it would be faster than walking. He was soon jumping on the nearest building before jumping over to the next building, going progressively faster.

* * *

 **( Ninja Academy )**

Ten minutes later, Naruto arrived at the front gate of the academy. Without wasting any time, he went inside and noticed all the kids were around his age and standing in a group, facing the stage. Some academy teachers were standing around the stage, seemingly waiting for the Third Hokage's arrival.

He also noticed that behind the kids, parents and family members of the students stood calmly, some of the adults giving him dirty glares. He didn't pay them much mind as he walked to stand in the last line of the students in the back.

A few minutes later, the Third Hokage arrive in a shunshin and stood on the stage, gaining all the people's attention.

"Congratulations on your acceptance into the academy everyone. From this day forth, do your best to reach your goals on becoming a Shinobi of our village. You are all going to be the future of our village so take your studies and training seriously. Do your best and good luck to you all." The Hokage finished his speech, a proud smile on his face.

After the third Hokage finished his speech, all family members said their goodbyes before the teachers took the students away towards their classrooms.

Arriving at the classroom, students took their seats and settles down. Naruto took a seat in the corner, near the window. Settling down, Naruto notices some of the girls were glancing at him. Naruto paid them no mind and looked ahead when the teacher opened the door and walked in.

The teacher was an eighteen-year-old man of average height and build. He had brown hair that he kept up in a ponytail, dark brown eyes with a scar that ran across the bridge of his nose. He wore the standard Konoha Shinobi outfit, complete with forehead protector, sandals, and a Chunin flak jacket. His sleeves were also rolled up about halfway.

He came to stand in front of the students and, after glancing over everyone, started with his introduction. "Good morning students, my name is Iruka Umino. You will be calling me Iruka-sensei from now on."

Getting a chorus of "Hai Sensei" Iruka continued. "Very well then, we will start with the introductions first. Just telling us your name and dreams will be alright." He then pointed at the first row of students to start.

As the class continued with the introduction, Naruto looked at everyone and notice that there were a lot of clan kids. The Nara, Akamichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, and Uchiha, as well as some kids from civilian families.

Seeing that it was now his turn for introduction, he stood up. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki and my dream is to become the Hokage and protect the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Finishing with his introduction, Naruto set down and noticed that everyone was looking at him with surprise, some hiding it better than others. Paying them no mind, Naruto looked outside at the birds sitting in a tree.

Soon, the introductions were over Making Iruka smile at them. "Okay class, before we start with our lecture, I wanted to say that I'm sure some of you have already been taught Ninjutsu in your household. Here at the academy though, you will also be trained in coordination and working together as a team when you are in a group. The fundamentals are very important, so make sure you learn them well."

"Now then, our first lecture is going to be on history." Said Iruka.

The lecture went without any incident, though, throughout the lecture Iruka was very impressed with Naruto as he was able to answer every question that he asked him.

After a small break, Iruka called for everyone's attention. "Come on students, gather up in a line. We are going out for shuriken and kunai practice."

Iruka took all the students towards the academy training grounds. There, in the training grounds, were training posts for target practicing as well as a few buckets of Shuriken and Kunai. Iruka took them there and showed them how to handle and throw Kunai and Shuriken.

He told them to start practicing before going and standing on the side lines, observing everyone.

When he noticed Naruto, he was once again very impressed with Naruto's skills in. To think that he was throwing fore Kunai at the same time and hitting the center of the target every time. He decided to walk over to him for a small chat.

Naruto was throwing Kunai when Iruka showed up with a smile. "You are very skilled with Kunai and Shuriken throwing, Naruto."

Naruto looks at him and replied. "Hai sensei, I have been training in my alone time."

"Well, I must say Naruto, I'm impressed you're taking your training seriously at such a young age." Said Iruka. Naruto just nodded with a small smile.

"Well, Naruto, if you ever need any help, you can come to me, alright?"

Iruka knew that Naruto didn't have many people in his life and some of the villagers also didn't treat him well because of him being the Jinchuriki of the nine tails. Iruka never did hold any grudge against Naruto as he knew the difference between the demon fox and Naruto. He knew that Naruto was the one who was keeping the fox at bay and protecting the village.

He really wanted to help him because Iruka knew that Naruto was just a lonely kid who didn't have many people to support him. Iruka himself had lost his parents in the nine tails attack so he could understand him a little.

Naruto nodded and smiles again. "Hai sensei, I will. Thank you." Replied Naruto. He was happy that his sensei is willing to help him and was not like some of the other villagers.

Iruka just smiled and nodded before going to observe the other students, helping some who were having a problem doing it properly.

After about thirty minutes, Iruka gathered all students around in a big circle and said. "It's time for Taijutsu lessons. Before that though, is there anyone who's up for a spar?"

After a few seconds, one of the students walked forward and stepped into the middle of the circle with his arms crossed and an arrogant smirk on his face.

Seeing that Iruka need one more student for the match to start but no one was volunteering, he decided to choose himself. He looked over everyone before deciding to call on Naruto. "Come on Naruto, you're up."

Naruto walked forward, stepping into the circle. He came face to face with his opponent, his face relaxed as the rest of his body.

The other kid looks him over with arrogant eyes. "You should give up Blondie, you don't stand a chance against an Uchiha. You won't be able to touch me."

Naruto looked at him from head to toe and then he looked at Iruka, wondering when he was going to start the match.

Seeing his look, Iruka sighed. "Okay, both of you, before we start the spar you both need to make a proper confrontation with your dominant hand before you two begin. It's proper edicts-"

The Uchiha kid interrupted Iruka's speech rudely. "Come on sensei. Just start the match already so I can show him his place, trying to act cool in front of everyone."

Iruka sighed frustratingly. "Enough Uchiha-san, Shinobi hand to hand combat is a tradition passed down from generation to generation. You might think it's stupid to act formal but here at the academy, we have respect for tradition."

Then Iruka showed them the proper sign. "First, you have to make sure you face your opponent and point one hand at him. It signifies the first half of making Jutsu seals with both hands, and it shows your willingness to fight. This is full etiquette of the Shinobi pair sparing." Iruka explained, Naruto and the Uchiha both nodded.

Both the children made the proper one hand seal in front of each other. Seeing this, Iruka started. "Both fighters ready?" Seeing them nod, Iruka continued.

"Hajime!"

The Uchiha wasting no time, running towards Naruto with a punch aimed at his face. Naruto just stood there waiting for him. When the Uchiha came near Naruto, he grabbed his wrist and flipped him on his back, holding his arm, his head rested on Naruto's feet.

"The match is over!" Iruka said, shock present in his voice. He was surprised at how quickly Naruto had finished the fight.

All the other students were also looking at him in amazement and shock. Some of the girls even had hearts in their eyes as they cheered for him.

"Wow! Naruto-Kun is so strong!"

"He's so cool!"

"Go! Naruto-Kun!"

The girls cheered for him loudly. The Uchiha, coming out of his shock, stood slowly and glared at Naruto. Iruka, seeing this, came between them. "Good match you two, now both of you offer each other the seal of reconciliation."

Both of the boys crossed their middle and index finger with each other as a reconciliation seal, the Uchiha looking like he swallowed a lemon all the way.

The rest of the day went uneventfully at the academy. As the academy ended, Naruto decided to head towards the Hokage tower to visit the Third Hokage.

* * *

 **( Hokage tower )**

Arriving at the Hokage tower, Naruto went up the stairs, soon coming to a stop at the Hokage's door. Naruto knocked on the door a couple of times before the Hokage's voice came from the other side. "Come in!"

Naruto opened the door and stepped inside. Hiruzen looked up from his paperwork, smiling at seeing Naruto. "Naruto-Kun, how was your day at the academy?"

Naruto closed the door behind him before speaking. "Jiji, can you teach me some Jutsu?"

Hiruzen pauses in his paperwork, looking confused for a moment before continuing. "Aren't they teaching you that in the academy?"

"But Jiji! It's too easy with what they were teaching there. I did everything the sensei asked me to do very easily and I even beat an Uchiha in today's spar." Said Naruto, a frown tugging his face.

Hiruzen listened to him before he smiled proudly at him. He stood up from his seat and walked up to him, patted him on the head. "Well done Naruto-Kun, you're quite talented for your age. However, I can't teach you much as it will be unfair to the other students and as Hokage, I can't show favouritism to anyone."

Naruto was upset but nodded in understanding. Seeing the sad look on Naruto's face, Hiruzen felt bad for Naruto. He knew the others in the academy had the backup from their clans and can learn from their parents.

Hiruzen walked back to his desk and opened one of his drawers. He took out a couple of scrolls and gave them to Naruto. "Here, take this scrolls, they have some advance chakra control exercises and a couple of academy level Jutsu in them. It will help you in the future."

Naruto's eyes lit up as he took the scrolls with a large grin. "Thank you, Jiji!"

Hiruzen chuckled a little, sitting back down. "Well, you can ask me for anything, alright?"

Naruto nodded and said. "Okay, I'll see you later Jiji! I'm going to get some training done."

Hiruzen nodded to him with a smile before getting back to work. Naruto left the office to get to the training ground, excitement coursing through him.

* * *

Naruto soon arrived at the training grounds near the forest. He always came here to train, not many people came around there so he can train here without being disturbed. Coming to a stop at the opening, Naruto decided to open the scrolls to see what techniques he had to practice.

Opening the first scroll, Naruto started to read the three techniques written down. **(Transformation Jutsu)** , **(Substitution Jutsu)** , **(Fire Style-Fireball Jutsu)** Both E-Rank and one C-rank. _'Not bad…'_

He started reading the description of the Justus, trying to fully understand them. The first one was the Transformation Jutsu.

 **(Transformation Jutsu)** This Jutsu allows the user to transform either themselves or another object into the appearance of another person, animal, or object. This is one of the basic Jutsu taught at the ninja academy. Fundamentally, all ninja know this Jutsu. The Transformation technique requires constant emission of chakra while mentally maintaining the form. The hand seals required for this are- Dog Boar Ram

 **(Substitution Jutsu)** With this technique, the user replaces their own body with another object, generally with a log, the moment an attack is about to land. This creates an optical illusion, making the enemy think the attack was successful. From this, the user can use the lapse in the enemy's attention to attack or flee from the battlefield. Explosive tags can be attached to the replacement for an added surprise. Despite it being a basic Ninjutsu taught at the Academy, it is seen as a useful art that can be applied in a variety of situations as it allows for a swift getaway from danger. This technique even allows a restrained Shinobi to escape capture.

 **(Fire Style-Fireball Jutsu)** Is a technique where chakra is converted into a fire from the inside and expelled from the mouth, either as a massive sphere or as a continuous flame. The released flames will engulf their target and are capable of leaving a crater in the ground's surface with enough force. The scope of this attack can be altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered. The required hand seals for the Jutsu are- Tiger or Snake Ram Monkey Boar Horse Tiger

Finished with the first scroll, Naruto then opened the second scroll. In the scroll were the techniques on how to better control your chakra. First one was leaf balancing. He had already learned this technique when he first started his ninja training two years ago.

The second one was the tree walking exercise without the use of hands, by concentrating chakra at your feet and moving up. The third one was the water walking exercise, it was similar to the tree walking exercise but the more advanced version of it.

Naruto decided to first start with the chakra control exercise. As it said in the scroll, the better your control is, the better your success rate of your Jutsu is without you wasting unnecessarily chakra.

With that, he started his training for the rest of the day.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **See you in the next chapter, Sayonara!**

 **You can vote for your favourite pairing by going to my profile and vote in the poll of your choice.**

 **Yugao Uzuki**

 **Ino Yamanaka**

 **Mei Terumi**

 **Shizune**

 **Kurotsuchi**

 **Yugito Nii**

 **Kurenai Yuhi**

 **Temari**

 **Hinata Hyuga**

 **Samui**

 **OC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Naruto Uzumaki : The Greatest Prodigy**

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

 **Author Note: I hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapter, I'm quite satisfied with the kind of response I received for this story. I hope you guys continue to give your support by appreciating my work in the future and share your ideas with me, feedback will be really appreciated and you can also share what you want in the story. I will be really satisfied with getting your advice. Well now, here's the new chapter so enjoy.**

* * *

 **"Talking" - Bijuu and summoning**

 _ **'Thinking'**_ **\- Bijuu and summoning**

 _'Thinking'_ \- Person inner thoughts

"Talking" - Normal human

* * *

 ** _( I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does )_**

* * *

 _ **( Time skip 6 months later )**_

It's been six months since Naruto started the academy. He had improved a lot in the past six months. He had mastered some of the basic Jutsu, which the Third Hokage had given him months ago.

His only problem was that he was not able to properly control his chakra. He had completed all the chakra control exercises in the scroll but still, he was not able to properly control his chakra and perform **(Bunshin no Jutsu)**.

The Third Hokage told him it would be difficult to perform basic a **(Bunshin)** because of his large chakra capacity, such large amount of chakra can't be controlled all at once and the basic Clone Jutsu required very little chakra to be formed.

He had not yet learned anything new in the academy. They were still going on with Shinobi history and chakra introduction theories. He was still pretty advanced from his classmates. All of his teachers were very impressed with seeing his progress, though, some more afraid or disgusted than others. Some of the nice ones were even calling him a genius in the Shinobi arts.

Today, he was in the training grounds near the forest, practicing a new Taijutsu style. A month ago, the Hokage had shown him a new Taijutsu style called the Humming Bird. To which he perfectly adapted to because of his speed and reflexes.

Naruto was quite surprised when the Hokage told him that the Humming Bird Taijutsu style was created and used by the Fourth Hokage. While he was elastic to be able to learn his idols Taijutsu style, he was also confused, wondering why the Hokage would teach him the personal Taijutsu style of the Fourth Hokage. He soon just brushed it off though, saving the question for a later date as he got into learning the Taijutsu style.

The style suited his growing body quite well. He hadn't mastered it yet but he was still quite talented at it. Of course, he still messed up every now and then, that was just the way of learning.

Naruto stopped his training, standing straight, and observed the area around him, looking for a presence of another person. He had a feeling that someone was watching him for some time now, he just couldn't find the person.

"Come out now, I know you're there," Naruto said calmly while folding his arms.

"I'm up here," Came a calm, quiet voice. Naruto looked up in the direction the voice came from, only to see a boy around twelve or thirteen years of age, smiling and waving down at him.

"Who are you and why are you spying on me?" Naruto asked him, eyes slightly narrowed.

"My name is Uchiha Itachi." Said the boy, now known as Itachi. Naruto observes the boy.

Itachi had onyx eyes, under which were long, pronounced lines, most likely from stress. He had jet black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, reaching mid-back, his center-parted bangs framing his face perfectly. He was wearing a black shirt, seeing an Uchiha symbol on the back when he moved. He wore greyish black pants with a weapon pouch strapped to his thigh with bandages around his ankles, wearing black sandals.

"You didn't answer my question, Itachi-san," Naruto said with a little frown on his face.

Itachi smiled slightly before speaking, his voice still soft. "I am not spying on you. I come to train here sometimes."

Naruto looked him over for lies before nodding, turning around to start his Shuriken and Kunai practice, forgetting about Itachi. Itachi watched Naruto as he threw fore kunai with both hands at the target and hitting the bull's eye on all at them.

"You know, it's very rude to ignore a person standing beside you, you haven't even introduced yourself yet," Itachi said from the side. He knew who the boy was, every adult knew who he was. He just decided to be a little formal as this was their first time meeting each other.

Naruto paused before turning around and blinking a couple of time, confused. He then laughed a little nervously, rubbing the back of his neck before saying. "Hehe s-sorry, I forgot. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you, Itachi-san."

Itachi smiled at his reaction as it kind of reminded him of his little brother. "it's nice to meet you too, Naruto-Kun, but would you mind telling me why you are here? You should be at the academy at this time of day. I am sure Hokage-sama will not be happy if he found out you were skipping your classes."

Naruto got a little embarrassed at that, he has caught. He had started skipping classes about a month ago, around the same time he got the Humming Bird Taijutsu, to focus on his training outside the academy. He knew that if the old man Hokage found out about his actions, he could get in serious trouble.

He looked at Itachi, still embarrassed from being caught, and asked. "You are not going to tell him… Right?"

Itachi chuckled lightly at his question. "It's alright Naruto-Kun, but would you mind telling me why you're skipping your classes?" He asks again.

Naruto sighs in relief, shoulders slumping slightly before answered Itachi. "Well, they don't teach anything important in there. All they're teaching is chakra introduction and history lesson. Stuff I already know. It's boring…"

"I can see that you are very talented for your age. I understand." Itachi said, looking at all the Kunai and Shuriken scattered around the training field. Looking back at Naruto, Itachi asked. "Where did you learn to do this?"

Naruto smiled at him, pride shining in his eyes. "Hokage-Jiji helps me out from time to time."

Itachi nodded, not at all surprised at his relationship with their Hokage, saying. "Would you mind if I train with you, Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto's eyes lit up slightly as he shook his head, happily replying back to Itachi's question. "Of course not, Itachi-san, you can train here with me anytime!"

Itachi nodded in appreciation and soon, they both started their training. Itachi took out eight Kunai, holding four in both hands. Naruto looked at Itachi, curious about what he was going to do.

Itachi jumped high in the air and launched all eight Kunai at the same time, before he quickly summoned two more Kunai in his left hand, throwing both the Kunai in the direction of other two Kunai that were going off target. Hitting both Kunai, he deflecting them and changed their direction in mid-air. Because of this, it makes him hit all the targets, even the two blind spot targets. Right as the last Kunai hit, he landed on the ground, barely rustling up the dirt.

Naruto, on the other hand, was wide-eyed at seeing Itachi's skills in the Kunai Jutsu. He had never seen anything like that. Still shocked, he quietly asked. "T-that was cool, how did you do that?"

Itachi turned and looked at Naruto, slightly hidden amusement in his eyes as he watched Naruto's reaction. He decided to take pity on the boy and answered him. "Well, the Kunai Jutsu is one of my specialties."

"Can you teach me how to do that, Itachi-san?" Asked Naruto, excitement coating his voice thickly.

"I can teach you Naruto-Kun, you just have to keep practicing and improve your aiming," Itachi said as he relaxes his stance. Standing up straight again, he gives a small smile to Naruto before his face relaxes.

Naruto nodded at him, still very excited. He always did love learning new things.

Itachi then showed him how to hold Kunai in both of his hands, telling Naruto to give it a try, which he did moments later.

Naruto tried to do what Itachi did but it came back as a failure. He tried it a few more times but couldn't hit the Kunai in mid-air to change their direction. He was starting to get a little frustrated by his failure.

Itachi, seeing this, shook his head and spoke up. "You will get it in time, Naruto-Kun, you just have to keep practicing it. Mainly your aim as that seems to be your main problem."

Naruto sighed and nodded at Itachi, he knew that Itachi was right but he was still a little disappointed that he couldn't do it after so many tries. He then started again, now determined to fully learn the move.

After some more trying, Naruto slowly started to improve bit by bit. He was now able to hit the kunai in mid-air on some tries to change its direction but was still unable to hit the targets as he wouldn't hit them the right way.

Itachi, who was observing Naruto from the side, was quite impressed with Naruto's progress. It kind of reminded him of himself. Though, seeing that Naruto was starting to get tired, he interrupted him from trying to do it again. "I think that is enough for today, Naruto-Kun. You should rest now."

Naruto freezes before relaxing and nodding to Itachi, agreeing with him as he was started to slow down. Once he put his Kunai back in his holster, he walked up to Itachi and sat down on the log next to him, resting up a bit.

Itachi, too, sat down next to Naruto, quietly speaking to him. "You did well today, I didn't expect for you to improve this much."

Naruto smiled at the compliment before responding. "Thank you, Itachi-san, for teaching me your Kunai technique to me."

"It is quite alright, Naruto-Kun. I am glad to see you getting the hang of it so quickly."

Itachi was quite happy that he has finally met Naruto, he really wanted to meet the boy for a very long time now. He was first curious about him as the adults always spoke badly of him. His curiosity soon turned into warmth once he finally met him. He got the little brother feel from Naruto. Itachi also knew who Naruto's parents were, his mother, Mikoto, was best friends with Naruto's parents, Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. He himself was quite close to Naruto's parents before they passed.

Kushina was his godmother. He had spent a lot of time with her, loving her company. He could still remember when Kushina told him that he was going to be a big brother.

* * *

 **-Flashback-**

 _A six years old Itachi was walking out of the hospital, hand-in-hand with his mother, Mikoto, and his godmother Kushina. He was looking at Kushina, wondering why they all came here._

 _Looking at Kushina, who was walking ahead of him, Itachi asked. "Aunt Kushina, are you sick?"_

 _Kushina laughed loudly as she turned around with a big smile on her face, looking at Itachi. "No Itachi-Kun, I'm perfectly fine!"_

 _Itachi was confused as he asks innocently. "Then why are you visiting the hospital?"_

 _Kushina's eyes were bright as she answered him. "You see, I'm going to become a mother soon! Tattabane! That's why I have to come in for a check-up."_

 _Itachi's eyes widen in surprise at hearing her answer. She was going to be a mother… He looked back at Kushina and asked another question. "Does that mean I am going to be a big brother?"_

 _Kushina pauses before continuing to walk, her grin turning into a gentle, loving smile as she stared at Itachi. She stopped walking entirely and turned around, walking up to him. She_ tapped _his forehead with two fingers and said. "Yes Itachi-Kun, you're going to be a big brother."_

 _Itachi rubbed his forehead but was happy that he was going to be a big brother. His mother, who was standing too the side, smiled at seeing the interaction between her son and Kushina._

 _She knew her son was very close with Kushina and Minato but her husband, Fugaku, was against on letting Itachi interact much with Minato and Kushina._

 _Mikoto soon noticed that it was getting late so she looked towards Kushina and Itachi, speaking up. "We should get going Kushina, Fugaku will not be happy if he is aware of me and Itachi coming to visit you."_

 _Kushina snorted at Fugaku's name, she was still not happy with Mikoto for getting married to that Teme who just wanted power but just nodded. "It's alright Mikoto, you and Itachi can come by anytime though. My home is always welcome to you two."_

 _Then, Kushina turned in Itachi's direction with a big smile, poking his forehead with two fingers again. "Bye Itachi-Kun! I'll see you around!"_

 _Itachi rubbed his forehead again with a small smile. "Bye aunty Kushina." He said before walking off with his mother, waving goodbye to Kushina._

* * *

 **-Flashback end-**

Itachi, coming back to reality, looked at Naruto as he was calling for his attention. "I'm sorry, were you saying something, Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto frowned slightly before looking at Itachi, asking a question that caught Itachi off guard. "Why is there fighting in life?"

Itachi was indeed caught off guard by the question, he was not expecting anything like that. He was quiet for a while, not knowing what to say as he himself was asking the same question as well.

Itachi shook his head at Naruto with a slight frown. "Who knows, but if fighting can be stopped, I'd like to stop it."

Naruto was quiet for a bit, looking down into his lap as he thought. After a bit, he looks back up at Itachi, determination burning in his eyes. "I'd like to do the same thing, I don't like unnecessary fighting."

Itachi looked at Naruto with unreadable eyes. "Then why are you training to fight if you don't like fighting, Naruto-Kun?"

"So that I can protect our village and become the strongest Hokage, then people will have to respect me." Said Naruto, no hesitation in his voice.

Itachi's eyes softened slightly as he smiled at him. "Well, that is a big goal you have, good luck with accomplishing it, Naruto-Kun."

Naruto smiled back at Itachi in thanks before speaking again. "I should be going now, Itachi-san. Thank you for teaching me that Kunai move of yours." He said before he got up and started to jog away, waving goodbye to Itachi.

"See you around, Naruto-Kun," Itachi said softly, he himself waving goodbye. He suddenly got very nostalgia.

Itachi smiled a small happy smile, looking in Naruto's direction. He has finally met Naruto. He has been trying for so long to introduce himself in front of Naruto but didn't know how to confront him. Nevertheless, he was glad that he finally met him. He had promised himself that he will look after Naruto.

On the other hand, there was still the situation with his clan. As they slowly started to lose their patience with the village, things after the Kyūbi attack were not good for the Uchiha clan as the higher up villagers started accusing the Uchiha clan of being behind the attack. Making the clan start to isolate itself in suspension.

Now, as he had joined the ANBU, his father wanted him to supply secret information to his clan for its own benefits. He knew his clan would go to any lengths to take back the power they wanted. He just hoped that his little brother and Naruto never get involved in it.

* * *

 **( Naruto's Apartment )**

It was soon night time and Naruto was in his apartment practicing calligraphy so that he could soon start practicing the sealing arts. The Hokage had told him he needed to be very good with calligraphy so that it would be easier on him for drawing up seals.

Midway done, he heard a quiet knock on the front door. Already knowing who it was, he quickly got up, making sure he didn't knock over anything before he ran to open the door.

Opening the door he was greeted by the smiling face of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, and his Jiji.

Naruto smiled at seeing Hiruzen before grinning. "Jiji! I have been waiting for you to come!"

Hiruzen laughed lightly, an eyebrow raised as he wondered what's gotten him in such high spirits tonight. It wasn't very often you get to see this kind of expression from Naruto.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about something but first, would you mind if I come in?" Hiruzen asked calmly, if not kindly.

"Huh… Of course Jiji! Please, come in. I just got a little excited to see you." Said Naruto, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment before quickly stepping aside for Hiruzen, allowing him to come in.

Hiruzen stepped inside, pausing for a moment as he looked around. Seeing all the papers and ink around the room, he realized that Naruto was practicing calligraphy. He walked in further as he looked closer before turning to look at Naruto, who had a happy expression on his face.

"So, you were doing calligraphy, Naruto-Kun?" Hiruzen asked Naruto.

"Hai Jiji," Naruto said, a slight pep in his voice. His excitement was slowly calming down but neither minded.

Hiruzen nodded to him, before asking him another question. "So, where were you today? I got news that you didn't attend today's academy classes. What do you have to say for yourself? Huh, Naruto-Kun? It's not just today either, you haven't been attending academy classes regularly for around a month."

Naruto looked a little uncomfortable, he didn't expect for the Hokage to find out about him ditching his classes. He tried to play innocent as he nervously said. "W-w-what are you s-s-saying Jiji?"

"Now, don't try to hide it, Naruto-Kun. Your academy teacher, Iruka, had come to my office this afternoon and informed me that you were not attending his lessons regularly. Just tell me the truth, please. Why are you not attending the academy regularly?" Hiruzen asked, his voice stern.

Naruto, seeing no reason to hide it anymore, decided to come clean. He folded his arms, not meeting Hiruzen's eyes and said. "Fine, you got me. Jiji, I already know all the stuff they're teaching in the academy."

"That doesn't mean that you can skip them. Don't take the academy classes for granted, you've still got a lot to learn Naruto-Kun. It seems to me that you're getting arrogant in your skills, thinking the academy is a waste of time for you." Hiruzen scolded Naruto.

Naruto lowered his head down in shame, he never liked upsetting his Jiji who cared so much for him. This time though, he was the reason for getting his Jiji upset at him. He was ashamed of himself for letting his Jiji down.

"I'm sorry Jiji, it won't happen again," Said Naruto, still not meeting Hiruzen's eyes.

Hiruzen stared hard at the boy before sighing. "Listen Naruto-Kun, I know that you already know all the things they are teaching you in the academy, but everybody can't be like you. In the academy, they teach you according to your age. That is not all they teach though, they also teach you how to communicate and form a bond with your fellow comrades. Who of which you're going to be working with, in the future. Right now, you don't know anything about it or them."

Naruto nodded slowly, head still bent. "I understand Jiji, I promise I won't do anything to upset you. I will attend my classes regularly from now on."

Hiruzen relaxes slightly and smiled at Naruto, satisfied now that Naruto understood the importance of basics. "I am glad that you understood this Naruto-Kun, but would you mind telling me what you were doing when you were not attending classes?"

Naruto was happy that his Jiji had forgiven him, so when he went to speak again, he looks up at him, meeting Hiruzen's eyes. "I was training during that time Jiji. I even met someone today at the training grounds while training, he was pretty cool and strong."

At this, Hiruzen had his full attention towards what Naruto was saying. He had to know who this person was and whether he was friend or foe for Naruto. "Who did you meet, Naruto-Kun?"

"He was from the Uchiha clan, I think his name was Itachi Uchiha. He was pretty strong and he even taught me some awesome Kunai moves." Naruto said, a small excited smile gracing his face.

Hiruzen relaxed at hearing Itachi's name as he knew that Itachi was close to Naruto's parents, thus making him care for Naruto very much. He was nothing like the others in the village.

"Ahh… Yes, Itachi. He is a very talented boy and is quite strong too. He even graduated from the academy at the age of seven, being considered a prodigy among our Shinobi. He recently joined Anbu, the youngest to ever achieve the ranks of Anbu."

Naruto's eyes were wide at the information his Jiji was giving him, he was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to know of Itachi's rank in statues. Graduating from the academy at the young age of seven, and being the youngest Anbu operative. He was impressed. Faintly, he wondered if, he too, could graduate at the age of seven. He then quietly mutters to himself. "Wow… Itachi-san is really strong."

Hiruzen, at hearing him, smiled before saying. "Yes, yes he is. You're also very talented, Naruto-Kun. I'm sure you will also achieve great things if you train hard enough."

"You know me Jiji, one day I am going to become the Hokage, dattebayo!" Naruto said with a big grin on his face, lighting up his features.

Hiruzen also grinned at Naruto, happy that he was happy. "I am sure you will, but for now, you should get to bed, it's getting late and I must get going."

"Hai, Jiji!" Said Naruto cheerfully.

"Good night, Naruto-Kun, I hope I don't get any more complaints about you ditching classes."

"Hai, Jiji… I will not be doing anything like that anymore, promise." Naruto said with a small laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

Hiruzen nodded to him with another smile, saying his last goodbyes as he left. Naruto soon sighed before going to collect all his papers that were scattered everywhere, cleaning up the mess that he made before going to bed.

* * *

 **( Timeskip, Four Months )**

It had been four months since Naruto had met Itachi, as well as the day when Hiruzen had scolded him for skipping his classes. On the next day, he came to class where he got scolded again by Iruka for doing something like that. He apologized to Iruka and told him that he won't do it again in the future. He had kept his promise.

He also met Itachi next time when he went there for training. They soon started a training schedule. Day by day, his relationship with Itachi had grown. He even started calling him Itachi-Nii-san and Itachi was more than happy in allowing Naruto to call him Nii-san.

Now, he was sitting in class, listening to Iruka who was teaching a history lesson. Naruto was not paying much attention to him as he already started reading history books from his Jiji's personal library.

Though, when Iruka mentioned the name Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, he started paying full attention to Iruka. He wanted to know about the man. As Iruka started telling the students about the Fourth Hokage, Naruto was amazed. He never knew that Minato was considered the fastest Shinobi to ever live and one of the most powerful men to ever walk the elemental nations, his achievements and his role in the third great ninja war amazing him even more.

Naruto was amazed, though hiding it well as he thought about the man and his achievements, how powerful his idol must be. Soon, Iruka went on about how on the 10th of October, the Kyūbi attacked the village and how no one was able to stop it until the Fourth Hokage arrived on the battlefield to face of the Kyūbi, sacrificing his life to defeat and kill the said Bijuu.

Naruto was confused by the story, not understanding one bit as he had read the book on the first Hokage's history and his fight with the Kyūbi and Madara Uchiha at the valley of the end. It was written in the book that the Bijuu can't be killed. He raised his hand to get Iruka's attention, curious.

Iruka, at seeing Naruto's raised his arm, motions for him to speak. "Yes Naruto, do you have a question?"

"Hai Iruka sensei." Naruto said, standing up.

"What it is?" Iruka asks.

"Iruka-sensei, you said that the Fourth Hokage killed the Kyūbi by sacrificing his life but how is that possible? I have read a book on the history of the first Hokage, which was in the Hokage's office and it clearly said that you can't kill a Bijuu." Naruto said, still confused and curious.

Now with his questioning, the whole class started to pay close attention because they didn't know anything about this.

One of the students asked Naruto a question. "What are you saying Uzumaki? Are you doubting our Fourth Hokage's power in killing the Kyūbi?" Some students whispered, agreeing with the boy.

"W-what are y-you saying Naruto?" Iruka asked Naruto, he hadn't expected anything like this to happen.

Naruto started again, now determined as he saw his sensei stutter. "I'm not doubting our Fourth Hokage's power. I was just asking. What I had read in the book was that during the battle between the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha at the valley of the end, Madara Uchiha summoned the Kyūbi and controlled it with his Sharingan to assist him in the battle against Hashirama-sama. However, with his power of wood release, Hashirama-sama was able to defeat the Kyūbi and Madara but he didn't kill the Bijuu because it was impossible. After his battle with Madara Uchiha, he started collecting all the Bijuu, one tail to the nine tails and decided to give said Bijuu to the other great nations to maintain the balance of power. The Sand Village has the one tails, the Cloud Village has the eight tails and two tails, the Stone Village has the four tails and five tails, the Mist Village has the three tails and six tails, as a sign of peace and to maintain balance in power, one of the remaining seven tails was given to the Waterfall Village as a peace treaty because of the assassination attempted on the first Hokage's life."

The whole class was speechless and wide-eyed, they didn't know any of this at all. Some were wondering how the hell Naruto got his hands on this kind of information but that was a mystery to them. To think this kind of thing happened in the past. It wasn't only the students as Iruka himself was speechless. He didn't expect any of this but he listened to Naruto as he continued.

"What I don't understand is that there was no mention of the Kyūbi in the book at all. However, if the first Hokage was giving the other tailed beasts to the other great nations for a balance of power, then why it didn't it mention anything about the Hidden Leaf Village also getting one? I mean, how could there be balance if one village was without the power of a Bijuu while the other villages were? What happened to the Kyūbi after the fight at the valley of the end? There was no mention of the Kyūbi after the fight until the 10th of October!"

As Naruto finished, the whole class was silent, no one knowing what to say. The students were processing the information Naruto told them. Iruka, on the other hand, was sweating bullets as he didn't expect this history lesson to turn out like this, now what was he supposed to say to Naruto? That _he_ was used on the Kyūbi's attack to seal the Bijuu by the Fourth Hokage? That _he_ contained the nine tailed fox inside himself? No, the Hokage would kill him!

The whole class was waiting for his answer, curious about what he had to say. Though, with the way Naruto was eyeing him, he lost his voice to speak and was slightly intimidated, thinking about what he was supposed to do now.

Luckily, the school bell started ringing, ending the class. Iruka let out a near silent sigh as he started collecting the papers and books on his desk and said without meeting any of the student's eyes. "Well, I think that is it for today. We will meet here again tomorrow! Please do your homework and enjoy the rest of the day everyone!"

With that, he exited the classroom, lowering his eyes away from Naruto. Naruto, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes, not liking his question being ignored. He was started to get annoyed by all the secrecy and was getting suspicious as everyone avoided talking about the Kyūbi's attack. He decided to get his answers later and exited the classroom, not minding as the whole class staring at his disappearing back.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **I will try to upload the new chapter as soon as possible.**

 **The poll is still open, you can go to my profile to vote for your favorite pairing -**

 **Yugao Uzuki - 3**

 **OC - 1**

 **Mei Terumi - 1**

 **Kurenai Yuhi - 1**

 **Ino Yamanaka - 1**

 **Yugito Nii - 1**

 **Shizune - 0**

 **Kurotsuchi - 0**

 **Temari - 0**

 **Hinata Hyuga - 0**

 **Samui - 0**


	3. Chapter 3

**Naruto Uzumaki : The Greatest Prodigy**

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

 **I hope you're liking the story so far, and thank you for the support. It really means a lot that my work is appreciated by you people. I will try my best on my part to continue my work for you guys. As I said in previous notes that you can also provide new ideas for the story I will consider them as well, and thanks once again for the support. Now here's the new chapter so enjoy.**

* * *

 **"Talking" - Bijuu and summoning**

 _ **'Thinking'**_ **\- Bijuu and summoning**

 _'Thinking'_ \- Person inner thoughts

"Talking" - Normal human

* * *

 _ **( I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does )**_

* * *

 _ **( Hokage's Office )**_

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, signifying the time being noon. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was sitting in his office with three elders, one was an old woman while the other two were old looking men. They were also his former teammates, now turned his advisers.

They were discussing a few lax matters when suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. Seeing that they were almost finished with their meeting, Hiruzen spoke.

"Come in!"

The door opened and Iruka walked in the office. Upon noticing the village elders with the Hokage, he quickly bowed and said. "Hokage-sama, elders, I apologize for interrupting. I will come some other time if you're still busy."

Hiruzen shook his head. "It's quite alright Iruka, we were all most finished with our discussion anyway. What brings you here in my office today?"

"I wanted to discuss with you about one of my students in the academy Hokage-sama," Iruka stated.

Hiruzen looked at Iruka with a raised eyebrow, wondering what was so important that an academy teacher had come to him regarding one of the academy students to discuss about. That was unless the student was Naruto Uzumaki.

"Who might this student be, Iruka?" Hiruzen asked, inwardly hoping that Iruka doesn't bring up Naruto's name.

"It's Naruto Uzumaki, Hokage-sama," Iruka responded, not seeing the hidden problem.

Now that got the attention of the elders, especially Danzo Shimura, because he had tried several times for Naruto Uzumaki to be handed over to him for his training so that he could mold him like a perfect Shinobi. A weapon for the sake of the village, he was always denied by the Third Hokage though.

Hiruzen could easily read Danzo's face, he wanted to avoid any discussion about Naruto in front of him because of his interest in Naruto but he realized that he couldn't just tell them to leave as it would lead to a pointless argument and a complicated situation.

Hiruzen signed and looked at Iruka, asking, "What about him? Did he do something now?"

"Yes, no, I mean no Hokage-sama! It's just that I don't know how to handle him." Iruka answered nervously, he didn't really know how to explain to the Hokage about what happened during today's class.

Hiruzen looked at Iruka with narrowed eyes and questioned him again. "What do you mean you can't handle him, Iruka? Say it clearly so that I can understand your situation."

Hiruzen knew that Iruka doesn't have any negative views regarding Naruto, unlike some other people in the village. He himself had made it clear with Iruka before the start of the academy. That time, Iruka had insured him that he didn't hold anything against Naruto and knew how difficult his life would be without any support of family or friends.

He couldn't understand now what could be the problem with Iruka. Unless it has to be something else. He looked at Iruka with narrowed eyes, telling him to explain everything.

Iruka saw the Hokage's look and understood the signal immediately, he quickly starts explaining, "During today's lecture, I was teaching the class about the history and past of the Fourth Hokage. Everything was going like normal until it came to the part about the Kyūbi attack when I finished telling the class that the Fourth Hokage died killing the nine tailed fox."

Hiruzen and elders saw where this was going. As it was, the Third Hokage's law was that the young generation didn't need to be told the full truth behind the Kyūbi attack so that Naruto could live a normal life, making friends among his age.

Hiruzen knew that Naruto himself didn't know the truth about him being the Jinchuriki of said beast. It was being kept a secret from him and the younger generation, as Hiruzen forbid the people forever mentioning about nine tails fox being sealed inside Naruto.

The three elders were also aware of Naruto, keeping a close look on Naruto's progress. For now, they decided to watch quietly from their sitting places.

Hiruzen looked at Iruka, motioning for him to continue. "After I finished, Naruto asked me on how the Fourth Hokage killed the Kyūbi, when the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, couldn't kill the beast during his fight against the Kyūbi and Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End. That's not all, Hokage-sama. He also spoke that, after the fight at the Valley of the End, that first Hokage collected all the Nine Bijuu and gave eight Bijuu's to the other Great Nations in the form of friendship, to maintain the balance of power."

Hiruzen and the three elders were shocked at hearing this, even Danzo, who normally didn't show much emotion on his face couldn't help himself this time. They never expected this from any academy student but they listened to Iruka as he continued.

"That's not all Hokage-sama. After this, he asked me why didn't the Leaf Village get any Bijuu. If the first Hokage was giving the Bijuu to the other Nations to maintain balance and power then Konoha must have kept one for itself. He also asked why the name of the nine tailed fox was never mentioned anywhere until the day said Bijuu suddenly attacked the Village on October Tenth?" Iruka finished his explaining.

The Hokage and the elders knew that this was a dangerous situation that they were in with Naruto. They couldn't tell Naruto that he was the Jinchuriki of the Kyūbi. More importantly, that the Kyūbi was always in the Village after the fight at the Valley of the End.

As the first Hokage's wife, Mito Uzumaki, sealed the Kyūbi in herself so it could not bring any harm to others. The whole truth was being kept a secret from the general populace of the village, only a few selected people know the full truth.

Koharu Utatane, who was sitting next to Hiruzen's left, was an old woman. Her hair was pulled back in a twin bun, locked in place by Senbon. Like her outfit, she wore a simple long-sleeved kimono, closed by an obi. A jacket and sash over it.

She looked at Hiruzen. "What are you going to do about this Hiruzen? It's a serious matter. How did he even get his hands on this information in the first place?"

Hiruzen, who was deep in thought, didn't respond to her as he was thinking about everything Iruka brought up. He knew that Naruto was a very smart and matured kid for his age. One day, he would have to tell him the truth, but Naruto wasn't ready to know the truth yet.

"Hokage-sama," Iruka spoke, getting his attention.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked at Iruka before asking. "Iruka, did he tell you where he got this information?"

"Hai Hokage-sama, he said that he read an old book on Hashirama Senju's history from your personal library," Iruka responded. He was worried about what this meant for Naruto.

Hiruzen mentally cursed his luck, rubbing his forehead in slight frustration. He should have known. That brat, always curious about things. With his interest in the previous Hokage's lives, he had allowed Naruto to read the books from his personal library. It seems that was a bad decision on his part.

The elders looked at him before Danzo stated. "You are getting careless Hiruzen, allowing the Uzumaki boy to read from your personal library. You know that there can be some sensitive information that shouldn't be known to the others, let alone a kid."

Hiruzen sighed and looked at Iruka. "What did you say to him Iruka?"

"I didn't answer anything Hokage-sama. Luckily, the bell rang and I left the class." Iruka answered Hiruzen.

"That's good, I'll talk to Naruto myself. You don't have to do anything Iruka, just continue your classes as it is." Hiruzen informed him.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Iruka said.

Hiruzen nodded to Iruka, silently dismissing him. Iruka bowed to him and left the office. Now, Hiruzen was left alone with his advisers. He knew what was coming up so he mentally prepared for it.

"You should hand over the Jinchuriki to me Hiruzen, I will train him to be a loyal Shinobi of the Leaf Village. Then we will have the perfect weapon against the other nations," Stated Danzo.

"I will be doing no such thing to Naruto. Don't take me for a fool Danzo, I know you only want him because you want his power. I will make this clear, Danzo, Naruto will be a Shinobi under my command, a leaf Shinobi. Not some emotionless drone that you want him to be, do you understand?" Hiruzen said with narrowed eyes, his voice deadly.

"It would be the best option, in my opinion, letting Danzo take care of Naruto, Hiruzen." Spoke Homura, who was quiet until now. Koharu also nodded, agreeing with him.

"I didn't ask for any of your opinions on the matter. You three are only here for advising me, not to command me. This conversation is over, dismissed." Hiruzen stated with a commanding tone.

They tried to argue with him but Hiruzen didn't listen to them. "I said dismissed, I have work to do," Hiruzen stated angrily, as he was starting to lose his patience with them.

The elders left quickly after that, knowing that they couldn't argue with him now. Danzo was gritting his teeth as he was once again denied by the Hokage for taking Naruto under his command. He believed that Naruto should be trained to become a weapon for the village for their safety and power. Before he was out the door, Hiruzen stopped him.

"Danzo, get this through your head. If you make any kind of move on Naruto or try to make contact with him, I will execute you. Understood?" He warned Danzo.

Danzo tightened his fists but nodded. "I understand, Hiruzen."

He left, leaving Hiruzen alone in the office. Hiruzen rubbed his temples in frustration. _'I am getting too old for this.'_

* * *

 **( With Naruto )**

Naruto was meditating, sitting under a tree, trying to calm his mind. What happened during class was still on his mind.

He couldn't understand why the academy was trying to hide some of the past events, more importantly about the nine tailed Fox from the students.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't feel another person entering the field. Not until the person spoke to get his attention. "Naruto-Kun,"

Naruto, recognizing the voice, opened his eyes and looked at the person. He smiled. "Itachi-Nii-san, when did you get here?"

"Just a moment ago Naruto-Kun," Itachi responded. Just by looking at Naruto's face, Itachi knew that he was thinking something that was bothering him. Mainly, it was because Naruto was sitting still that that gave it away he was bothered. He never sat ideally just to meditate.

"Something on your mind Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto knew that he could trust Itachi and share anything with him as he had become like a big brother figure to him. Naruto nodded with a sigh and spoke. "It was during today's lecture in the academy that Iruka-sensei said something in class that I don't understand. Why would he teach wrong information about the past? When I questioned him, he didn't answer any of my questions."

Itachi was wondering what Iruka was teaching them about that got Naruto so worked up, as well as why Naruto would say that it was the wrong information.

He looked at Naruto, voicing his thoughts. "What were they teaching you about and why would you say that they were telling was wrong information?"

Naruto huffed before he went on explaining what happened during class. That they were teaching about Shinobi history and some of the achievements of the Fourth Hokage. Then the whole thing about Kyūbi came up and that it was killed by the Fourth Hokage.

He then went on telling him about what he read in a book on the First Hokage, that Bijuu couldn't be killed and about the First Hokage distributing the Bijuu to the other Nations.

As Itachi continued to listen to him, he started getting nervous, thinking about what he could tell him. He can't tell Naruto that the fox was sealed inside of him by the Fourth. Naruto was still too young to know the truth.

He also knew that Naruto was very smart so if he was told anything about the Kyūbi attack because if anything caught Naruto's attention, there was no stopping Naruto from asking questions until he was satisfied. He had to be careful from saying any unnecessary stuff from now on.

"The events you are speaking of are too old Naruto-Kun and should remain in the past. There were some reasons for those events to be kept hidden from the general populace. Today's generation doesn't need to know about those events," Itachi stated calmly.

Naruto was annoyed that the village was keeping this important information hidden from his generation.

He questioned him on it. "Why the hell can't we know the truth? I mean, we are upcoming Shinobi of the Village, shouldn't they tell us about the events that occurred in the past?"

Itachi sighed lightly, looking at him. "You have a good point Naruto-Kun, but you have to understand that the times we live in today are far different from the times in the past. These are the times of peace, not war, where children were forced to grow up early because of the circumstances. The Village is just trying for the children to live free lives like they should have before they become Shinobi."

Naruto nodded towards Itachi but still didn't agree with him. Itachi, at seeing this, continued on. "Don't worry Naruto-Kun, you will know the truth when the time comes."

"It's alright, I understand Nii-san," Naruto responded quietly.

Itachi, reading Naruto's face, decided to distract him from thinking too hard on it so he instead asked, "So, how's your training going?"

Naruto looked back up at him and answered. "It's going alright I think but I'm still having problems with the clone technique. I have completed the chakra control exercise but still, I can't get my chakra control up to the level to perform a proper clone."

"Don't waste too much of your time on a single technique, that will be no good in a fight for you. It requires very little chakra concentration to do the technique. You, on the other hand, have too much chakra for a technique like that." Itachi stated.

"What do you mean, Nii-san? It is one of the three techniques you have to know to pass the academy, isn't it?" Naruto asked, not fully understanding what Itachi was trying to say.

"The normal clone Jutsu can easily be identified by the opponent. It will be no good in a real fight so don't waste your time on it." Itachi responded to him.

Naruto wondered.

"But it's still one of the three techniques to graduate the academy. If I don't learn the Clone Jutsu, how am I going to pass the academy?"

Itachi calmly responded back. "Because I'm going to teach you a different and more advanced version of a clone Jutsu."

"What Jutsu you're going to teach me?" Naruto asked eagerly, leaning in slightly.

"I am going to teach you the shadow clone Jutsu. It's a Jounin level Jutsu, the advanced version of a normal clone Jutsu." Itachi answered him.

"What makes it so different from a normal clone Jutsu?" Questioned Naruto.

Itachi decided to show the Jutsu to him instead of answering. He performed necessary hand seals to concentrate his chakra into before he called the Jutsu name. "Shadow Clone Jutsu," He created four identical clones of himself before looking back at Naruto.

He then starts explaining. "You see Naruto-Kun, It's called the Shadow Clone Jutsu and it's not some kind of illusion. It's an actual replica of myself that I created by distributing my chakra equally among the others. They can even be used in combat as they can perform Jutsu, which gives you an advantage in a fight. Your opponent will have a hard time identifying the real one among the clones which will confuse them. Even with the Byakugan and Sharingan, it is impossible to identify the real one. It has many more advantages though, not just what I have listed."

Naruto nodded in understanding. He was amazed by the Jutsu which seems to make a replica of you, being able to do whatever you could do.

Itachi then showed Naruto the hand signs for the Jutsu, explaining how it works. "When you perform the Jutsu, you make the necessary hand signs and concentrate your chakra in your body to split the chakra equally among your clones. The more chakra you use, the stronger your Jutsu will be but keep in mind that the clones will dispel by one or two solid hits in a fight, understood?"

Naruto nodded at this so Itachi continued. "Since I showed and explained to you on how to perform the Shadow Clone Jutsu, I want you to try to perform it. Don't try to rush into it, just keep your head calm, alright?"

Naruto nodded, "Alright!"

He then made the hand signs for the Jutsu, calling out its name. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Nothing happened so he tried a couple more times but still couldn't make a single clone.

Itachi, who was watching him from the side, spoke up. "Don't worry Naruto-Kun, you will get it in time. You just need to practice a little so keep it up, alright?"

Naruto nodded in his direction before continuing with his training.

After a couple of hours, Naruto had perfectly performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu as he was able to make up to 10 clones of himself because of his large chakra capacity. It did leave him tired out for trying so many times though. Right now, he was looking at his clones with a satisfied look on his face, happy for learning such a high-level technique.

Itachi, who was watching him from the side still, was also very satisfied with his progress. He was quite surprised by how fast Naruto was able to master the technique, he really didn't expect him to learn it so fast.

Itachi commented Naruto with a small smile, "You did well Naruto-Kun, I didn't expect you to learn it so quickly."

"Thanks, Nii-san," Naruto responded to his compliment.

"You still have to keep practicing the Jutsu until you can make the number of clones you want. You're still wasting your chakra unnecessarily if you're not in control of your Jutsu, alright?" Stated Itachi.

Naruto replied with a simple "Hai".

"For now, I want one of your clones to go with my clone into the forest, then we'll see what happens." He then made a single clone of himself.

Itachi's clone then took one of Naruto's clones into the forest with him. Naruto, on the other hand, was unable to understand what Itachi was trying to accomplish by doing that. He dispelled his other clones and decided to watch what happens quietly.

After a couple of minutes, Itachi looked at Naruto's shocked face, still not knowing what happened in the forest but realized a moment later of what transpired.

"Do you know what happened in the forest?"

Naruto was still in shock, but he still replied. "Your clone killed my clone by stabbing him with a Kunai."

Itachi nodded at his answer before Naruto came to the realization. "Wait a minute! How do I know what happened in the forest with the clone? It was like I was there experiencing myself being stabbed by a Kunai." He asked in confusion, not understanding how it was possible.

Itachi, seeing his confused face, started explaining it to him. "It is one of the advantages you get from using the shadow clones. When my clone stabbed your clone in the back, it was dispelled, transferring all of its memories back to the original. That is why you know what happened back there. The Shadow Clones are ideal for spying since the user can simply send a clone to spy on a target before having the clone disperse itself to pass the information back to the original."

"Wow… Hey, does that mean whatever Jutsu the clone learns, it can also be transferred back to the original?" Naruto asked eagerly. He was amazed by learning about the memory transfer part of the clone.

"Yes, it is possible," Itachi replied him with hidden amusement.

"Then can I use the clones in training to learn Jutsu?" He asked with an excited smile.

Itachi looked at Naruto for a moment, then spoke. "No, you're not going to use clones in that way."

"Huh? But why?" Naruto asked, dropping the smile on his face.

"The Shadow Clone Jutsu is a forbidden technique for a reason, not many people can perform this technique. You're only able to perform the Jutsu without killing yourself because of your large chakra reserves." Stated Itachi.

Naruto still couldn't understand what Itachi was trying to say so he asked. "But you said it yourself, I have a large chakra capacity so it would be helpful for me if I used the clones for training."

"You have to understand Naruto-Kun, you're chakra coils and body are still in the development phase. All the clones memories can put too much of stress on your mind, it can hinder your development and can affect your body in a negative way. Maybe in time you can use the clones for a training purpose when you're chakra coils are fully developed, but not now." He answered Naruto calmly.

"Alright, I understand Nii-san." Naruto nodded in understanding, still a little disgruntled.

"Don't worry Naruto-Kun, you're progressing very quickly. You are way ahead in comparison to the other kids your age. While it's understandable that you want to become strong but you should also be aware of your limitations." Itachi stated.

"Hai Hai, you don't have to lecture me about this, this time Nii-san. You are starting to make a habit of it nowadays, I think." Naruto responded with arms folded.

Itachi's eyebrow twitches at hearing Naruto say that but he composed himself quickly and spoke. "Whatever, you get my point. I should get going now, I have to get ready for my mission tonight."

Naruto nodded. "Alright, I'm going to stay for a bit longer and continue with training."

Itachi nodded before he smiles, calling Naruto over. Naruto, with a confused look, walked up to him. As he came near, Itachi poked his forehead with two fingers. Naruto stumbled backward a little, rubbing his forehead and glared in Itachi's direction but he had already left in a shunshin, leaving him alone. He was fuming inwardly. "Stupid Itachi!"

* * *

 **( Six Months Later )**

A lot had happened in the past six months with Naruto. He continued to progress at very impressive speed as he quickly mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu to the level where he can control the number of clones he wanted.

He also started interrogating his clones into his fighting style using a Tanto. Itachi had gifted him the Tanto on his 7th birthday, later teaching him how to use it in battle.

His bond with Itachi kept getting deeper in that time, leading him to meet one of Itachi's closest friends, Shisui Uchiha, when he started joining them in training. He became quite close to Shisui as well.

He also had a long talk with his surrogate grandfather, the Third Hokage, about the whole incident that happened in the classroom with Iruka. The Hokage had told him that he was still too young to know the sensitive information but he promised him that he would tell him the truth when the time comes.

Now, we find Naruto in a sparring match against Itachi, both the fighters standing on the opposite edges of the training grounds as they stared into each other's eyes. A small leaf was floating in the light wind in the middle of the field. Both sets of eyes observed its decadence towards the ground.

The moment the leaf made contact with the grass, both the fighters shot forward with Genin level speeds. Naruto, once reaching Itachi, tried to deliver a punch straight in the stomach of the Uchiha as he used his left leg as a support to drive the sucker punch into the abdomen of his opponent.

Itachi, seeing the punch coming, twisted his body sideways to let it pass harmlessly. He quickly spun around on his right heel and scored his own punch onto Naruto's left cheek, pushing the blonde backward a little. Naruto though was quick to regain his footing lest he risks banging his head on the ground.

Quickly running toward Naruto, Itachi never gave him a fraction of a second to regain his balance as he continued his assault on the academy student. He used his elbows, punches, slaps, and all sorts of attacks to make Naruto understand his mistakes and identify his errors in his defence.

This continued on for a few minutes when suddenly, Naruto raised his right knee upwards to block a left hook from Itachi. Itachi was a little surprised at the sudden change in tactics but decided to go with the flow to allow Naruto some leverage as the younger of the two. He smashed his forearm into Naruto's shin as Naruto used his left hand to grasp Itachi's right fist in a metal grip.

Now, both of Itachi's hands were busy overpowering Naruto while Naruto had his right hand free to attack Itachi on his exposed chest. Deciding to do just that, Naruto reared back his fist, as if charging chakra in it, before moving his fist at lightning speed towards Itachi to deal the damage. At the last moment, right before it hit, Itachi gave up the pushing contest and jumped backward while delivering a high kick to Naruto's chin, succeeding in lifting the blonde up into the air.

Naruto soon crashed to the ground as Itachi landed on his feet, the look of surprise evident on his face. He contemplated how to deal with this new Naruto who could change a tactical disadvantage into a great opportunity in battle.

Itachi had to admit that Naruto was progressing at a remarkable speed. Even though he was not going all out against Naruto, he was still able to stand up to him at this level for this long. It was quite impressive for an academy student, making him was beyond satisfied at seeing Naruto's progress.

Itachi decided to finish the spar with a final move as he continued his assault on Naruto with his Taijutsu. Naruto tried to block as many as he could but it was getting difficult for him as now Itachi was taking him seriously, increasing his speed considerably.

Unknown to Naruto, Itachi was not doing it intentionally. His attacks had started to get slowly faster. He then kicked Naruto hard, sending him speeding backward and forcing him to lose his balance.

Itachi quickly launched a couple of Shuriken in Naruto's direction but suddenly realized his mistake. He knew that Naruto was still out of balance and wouldn't be able to move in time to block them. Itachi quickly dashed forward to save Naruto.

As the Shuriken came near him, Naruto realized that he won't be able to block them in time seeing as he was still unbalanced. He was helpless.

Time started to slow down in front of him, making it easier for him to see the Shuriken flying in slow motion towards him. Taking advantage of this, he quickly unsheathed the Tanto from his back and threw it in front of him, hitting the Shuriken in mid-air, pinning them to a nearby tree.

When Itachi got to him, he gets the shock of his lifetime, as instead of Naruto's normally blue eyes, they were red coloured eyes with two tomoe in his left eye and a single tomoe in his right eye.

"What the…" He couldn't believe what he was seeing. _'How is it possible for Naruto to awaken the eyes of the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan?'_ He thought, still in shock. He knew that Naruto was not from the Uchiha clan and neither were Naruto's parents. Then the question that was raised was how did he awaken the Sharingan? As Naruto started to collapse, he quickly caught him in his arms and checked for any serious injuries.

Seeing no injuries, he assured himself that nothing serious had happened to Naruto. After finishing that, he places Naruto on his back and quickly started to move in the direction where he hoped he could get his answers.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **Please leave your review on the chapter! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. THANK YOU!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Naruto Uzumaki : The Greatest Prodigy**

 **CHAPTER 4**

 **Author Note: Thank you for your support. So far, I am really satisfied with the kind of response the story is getting from people. I just want to clear some things with you guys. From now on there will be some time skips because I want to pick up the pace with the story line. Also, the poll is closed and the result will be shown at the end of the chapter. As I mentioned before, Naruto is older than canon, so the rookies will be introduced in the future chapter but it will take some time for their introduction in the story. Hope you guys understand. Without wasting more time, please enjoy the chapter.**

Talking - Normal Human

 _Thinking - Human_

 **Talking - Bijuu and Summon**

 ** _Thinking -_** **Bijuu and Summon**

 **( Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, Kishimoto does )**

As Itachi jumped across the roofs to get to his destination, he carried Naruto piggyback style. He was still trying to get his thoughts straight but was having a hard time doing it.

Those red eyes, with two tomoe in one eye and a single tomoe in the other, looking directly at him. As far as he knew, neither of Naruto's parents belonged to the Uchiha clan. _Could it be that one of them was somehow connected to it?_

He felt Naruto starting to wake up and looked at him on his back as he sighed in relief. The boy's eyes were once again back to their normal blue. _He must be pretty exhausted since it was the first time activating his Sharingan_ , Itachi thought as he watched Naruto rubbing his eyes.

"You alright Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked in concern.

Naruto quickly replied, "I'm feeling alright now, but I don't remember clearly what happened. One moment I was feeling helpless seeing those shuriken coming towards me and then I suddenly started feeling this burning in my eyes, then everything started slowing down in front of my eyes and I could see the shuriken coming towards me in slow motion. I don't remember much after that."

"Don't think too much Naruto-kun. Just rest for now and I promise I'll explain everything later," Itachi assured him but he inwardly wondered what he would say. _Yeah, I'll explain everything when I myself understand what happened exactly and how you awakened the Sharingan._

Naruto nodded tiredly but then asked Itachi, his face looking confused. "Where are we going Nii-san?"

"We're going to the Hokage's office. I have some important thing to discuss with him."

Itachi noticed Naruto's confused look. "I'll answer all your questions there Naruto, you just rest for now."

Naruto nodded and rested his head on Itachi's shoulder as he closed his eyes. Itachi smiled, and picked up his pace to reach his destination.

 **( Hokage Tower )**

Itachi arrived at the Hokage Tower with Naruto on his back and quickly ran up the stairs towards the Hokage's office.

He reached for the door to knock a couple of times. "Come in," a voice said from the other side of the door. Upon opening the door, Itachi was greeted with the sight of the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, calmly sitting in his chair and smoking a pipe.

Hiruzen looked at Itachi and when he noticed Naruto resting on his back, a serious look crossed his face. "What happened Itachi... is Naruto alright?"

Itachi could tell by the look on the Hokage's face, that he was concerned about the boy. The Hokage not only knew everything about Naruto and his parents, but he also saw Naruto as his own grandson. Itachi was positive Hiruzen was the only one who could give him the answers he had come for.

Itachi spoke. "Naruto is fine Hokage-sama. He's only exhausted from sparring." Naruto nodded in confirmation and released his hold on Itachi so he could stand on his own. Itachi continued. "But something happened during our spar Hokage-sama."

"What happened, Itachi?" Hiruzen asked.

"I was hoping that I could speak with you in private. It's something sensitive." Itachi didn't want others to know about Naruto's Sharingan, especially not the Uchiha clan. They would go to any lengths to get Naruto under their control and that would not end well for anyone.

Hiruzen signalled to the hidden Anbu black ops to leave the office and activated the privacy seal on the doors and windows. He then looked at Itachi seriously.

"Now tell me what happened, Itachi." His voice had the tone of authority.

Itachi nodded at him, then looked at Naruto, who had a confused look on face. "Naruto-kun... would you please try to channel some chakra in your eyes?"

"Huhh...but why Nii-san?"

"Just do what I said Naruto, you will get your answers soon," Itachi responded calmly. He wondered if Hiruzen had guessed where all this was going.

Naruto nodded a moment later and closed his eyes. As he channelled some chakra into them, he could feel a little pain but moments later he could feel something different. The pain was gone and in its place he felt power flowing there.

When Naruto opened his eyes, gone was their normal blue, replaced by two glowing red orbs. Two tomoe showed in his left eye and Itachi could see two tomoe in the right one too, before a shock of Naruto's blond hair covered it.

Itachi noticed the Hokage's face but didn't see the shocked expression he had expected. Instead, Hiruzen was staring at Naruto calmly. The look confirmed his suspicions that the Hokage already knew something about this and could give Itachi answers.

Hiruzen walked up to Naruto and knelt down to his level to move the bangs from his face, getting a good look at his eyes. "Well, I expected this to happen someday but not this soon."

Itachi was confused. "What do you mean Hokage-sama? I don't understand. As far as I know, neither of Naruto's parents have it. So how could Naruto awaken those eyes?"

"No, you're wrong Itac..." Hiruzen started but was interrupted by Naruto.

"Would you tell me what you're talking about!?" He spoke in an annoyed tone.

Hiruzen took out one of his kunai, which had been polished to a mirror-like sheen, and held it before Naruto's eyes. "Take a look for yourself Naruto."

Naruto looked into the reflective steel of the kunai and his face registered surprise. "W-w-what is this, how is it possible?" he stammered, his voice full of shock. He then looked at Itachi with narrowed eyes. "You know who my parents were and that neither of them had it? I need you to give me answers. Now."

Itachi felt uncomfortable but responded. "Yes I know who your parents were and as far as you having the Sharingan, I don't have an answer myself. That is why we came here."

Itachi saw Naruto clench his jaw and tighten his fist and could hear the anger in his voice as he responded. "You both knew from the start about my parents and never bothered to tell me about them...Why?" Tears suddenly began to fall from his eyes.

Hiruzen himself looked uncomfortable, and Itachi wondered how the Hokage would break the news to Naruto. If he told Naruto about his parents then he would also have to tell him about the kyuubi, and Itachi wondered whether Hiruzen believed Naruto was ready to know the truth or not.

"I am sorry Naruto-kun, it's not Itachi's fault that he didn't tell you about your parents. It's because I ordered those who know their identity to keep it hidden from everyone and also from you. I'm really sorry Naruto-kun. I am just trying to protect you and the village."

Naruto glared at him furiously and stated. "Trying to protect me from what…Huh... I sometimes question myself who my parents were, if they loved me or just left me on my own in this village. You don't understand how it feels to walk the streets where people glare at you with nothing but hate in their eyes and to be called names like demon or monster and kicked out of stores for just trying to buy something."

Itachi tightened his fists and looked away in shame for not being there for Naruto. He didn't have the courage to face him. He could tell by Hiruzen's face that he too was cursing the villagers for disrespecting the fourth Hokage's wish for Naruto to be seen as a hero.

The Hokage tried to calm Naruto down as he put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand what you feel Naruto-kun..." But he was once again interrupted as Naruto swapped away his arm.

Naruto's glare hardened on him and he continued. "No, you don't understand anything. I always watched fathers picking up their kids from the park and how they walked with their kids holding hands, and I always wanted to experience that. I wanted to feel my father holding my hand like that and when I walked the streets with you that first time you held my hand while walking and I felt happy that time because that time I realized what it felt like. You're the closest person I have who's close to a father or grandfather, and now I realize you've been lying to me my whole life." He finished as tears continued flowing from his eyes.

Hiruzen did nothing other than look down in shame. He realized how much he had failed Naruto by breaking his trust in him. He was scared now, wondering what Naruto would do when he learned the whole truth about his parents and about being the kyuubi container. Would Naruto hate him? More importantly, would Naruto hate his own parents for what they did that night by sealing the beast in their own child? But he didn't have any other choice but to tell him the truth, and he would try to explain as best he could. He was glad at least Itachi was here to help him out.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I really am." Hiruzen stated with guilt in his eyes. "Why don't you settle down comfortably. I promise you, I will tell you everything."

Naruto composed himself a little and spoke. "Alright, tell me everything and don't leave anything out."

"I promise, but please don't interrupt me. I will answer all your questions at the end, alright?"

Hiruzen then looked at Itachi, who nodded in support, then turned his attention back to Naruto and started. "As you know Naruto, on the day of your birth the Leaf Village was attacked by the Kyuubi no Kitsune and no one was able stop the beast. Many shinobi and civilians lost their lives that day. Until, as you know, the fourth Hokage stopped the Bijuu by sacrificing his life.

"I arrived with a couple of shinobi on the battlefield where the Fourth teleported the kyuubi with him. There I found the bodies of the fourth Hokage with his wife, both impaled by the kyuubi's claw. They had put themselves in front of it trying to protect something. It was then that we noticed the baby no older than a few hours, laying in front of them. It was you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto appeared shocked as he listened to the Hokage, and Hiruzen was sure that many questions were coming to his head and was glad he didn't have the voice to ask anything. He noticed Naruto's shocked look and stopped himself from continuing. He didn't want to tell him anything more but he knew that he had to go on. He hoped that after knowing the truth, Naruto would remain the same loving and gentle person.

Itachi placed a hand a hand on the boy's shoulder to show his support but Naruto didn't acknowledge the gesture.

"H-h-how, w-hat are y-y-you saying Jii-chan, h-how is it p-possible?" Naruto asked in shock and Itachi gently squeezed his shoulder.

"We weren't able to hear anything or go to them because of the barrier the fourth Hokage's wife put around them, preventing the kyuubi from escaping, but we know what was happening in there. As you know Naruto, the Bijuu can't be killed, so the only thing the fourth Hokage could do to stop the Bijuu was to seal it away. He used a self sacrificing sealing jutsu to seal it in a new born baby whose chakra coils weren't developed. That baby was you Naruto-kun. After the sealing process, the barrier dissolved, allowing us to move in, and when we got there they were barely alive. The fourth Hokage's last wish was for you to be seen as a hero for protecting the village. His wife spoke your name on her dying breath." Hiruzen looked at Naruto to see his reaction.

Naruto was so shocked after Hiruzen told him that he was the one used for the sealing that he couldn't say anything as his whole brain went blank. He then came to, and remembering all the hateful glares and being called monster and demon behind his back, he began to cry again.

Itachi was also having a hard time controlling his emotions as memories of his time with Minato and Kushina came rushing to him, but he controlled himself, as he had to show his support to Naruto. Reaching out, he hugged Naruto and tried to calm him.

Naruto put a hand on his stomach where he had seen the seal many times while channelling chakra. He had always wondered what it was but never paid too much attention to it. Now he knew. He looked at the Hokage with puffy eyes. "Why me, why did they choose me? Where were my parents that time? Did they give me away to the Fourth for him to use me? Did they think of me as some kind of monster like many in the village think?"

Hiruzen felt terrible for Naruto and at the same time cursed the villagers for what they had done to an innocent child. But he also smiled a little at Naruto and answered. "Your parents didn't hate you Naruto-kun. I had never seen your parents so happy as when they got the news of your arriving. They couldn't stop smiling and as for why the Fourth and his wife chose you for the sealing . . . They knew the meaning of sacrifice and couldn't ask anyone else to sacrifice their child so they used their own baby boy who was born only hours before."

Naruto's eyes widened. Never had he expected to be the son of the fourth Hokage. The Fourth was his own ideal, the one he wanted to surpass in order to become the strongest Hokage. He smiled a very small smile as he thought of his parents and realized he had been wanted and loved by his mother and father.

Itachi and Hiruzen both felt a little relaxed seeing him smile and were thankful that Naruto was taking the news calmly. He didn't seem to show any kind of dislike or hate towards his father and mother but for confirmation, Hiruzen asked, "You don't hate them Naruto, for what they did by sealing the kyuubi in you, do you?"

Naruto shook his head. "How can I hate them? I am sure they didn't have any other solution. You once said to me that being Hokage is not a simple job that anyone can do and being shinobi means self-sacrifice. Well, my father was not just a shinobi, he was also the Hokage. If the Hokage can't sacrifice anything for his village, then how can he accept other shinobi around him to do the same? And if my Tau-san had used any other kid, then I don't think he would have deserved to be called a Hokage and father. I am proud to be his son."

Itachi and Hiruzen both were shocked at the level of maturity Naruto showed. Hiruzen was certain that many of the jounin level shinobi didn't have this type of thinking and here was a 7 year old who was in the second year of his academy showing the mind-set of a true shinobi. They smiled at Naruto with pride in their expressions.

"I can't describe in words how proud I am of you Naruto-kun. I am certain if your parents were here with us, they would also feel proud. Just remember that they gave their lives so you could live on. Don't waste it. Make them proud." Hiruzen ruffled Naruto's hair with a proud smile on his face.

"Aahm...Jii-chan you didn't tell me Kaa-chan's name," spoke Naruto, rubbing the back of his neck, realizing he didn't know his mother's name.

Hiruzen blinked a couple of times then laughed a little as he remembered Kushina. "Aah, yes your mother. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki and she was the granddaughter of the first Hokage. She was a very kind woman, always smiling and joking, but when she got angry she used to scare the shit out of people, especially your father. Because she had long red hair, people started calling her red hot habanera." He and Itachi both shivered a little at the image of Kushina with fire in her eyes and her red hair waving like the kyuubi's tails.

Naruto laughed a little, imagining his father the strongest shinobi who ever lived with a scared face because of his mother. But he was also shocked about knowing that he was also the great grandson of the first Hokage.

Hiruzen's heart melted a little seeing Naruto laugh, thinking how much happiness suited his face. He couldn't help but see both Minato and Kushina in him.

Hiruzen went over to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out a photo frame from inside. He then walked back to Naruto and showed him the photo. "This is the only photo I have of them in the office right now."

Naruto took the frame in his hand and looked at it. It was a picture of Kushina pregnant and smiling with Minato standing behind her with his hand on her stomach and a big grin on his face.

Naruto couldn't stop a single tear from falling from his eyes as he looked for the first time at his parents. How beautiful his mother looked and how happy they both looked together in the photo. "They looked so happy and perfect," he said quietly.

Hiruzen and Itachi both smiled at him. Then Naruto looked at Hiruzen and asked a question which had been troubling him for some time. "Jii-chan, if my father sealed the kyuubi in me, then why are the instructors in the academy saying that the Fourth killed the kyuubi?"

Hiruzen sighed and spoke. "Because I forbade anyone from ever mentioning the fact that the kyuubi is sealed in you. I wanted to prevent the younger generation from knowing."

Naruto spoke in confusion. "But why would you do something like that?"

Hiruzen looked at Naruto a little longer and then responded. "After the attack, the village was in state of panic. After having so many lives lost in the attack and the death of Minato, there was total unrest in the village and when the emergency meeting was held where I told the council about the kyuubi sealing, some of the council members demanded your death. I ordered the council not to mention anything about you to the general public but someone in the council leaked the information about you and within the next day, half of the village was demanding your death. Seeing all this, I passed the law stating that whoever spoke of the kyuubi being sealed in you would be sentenced to death without any trial" He sighed and spoke again. "I only wanted you to live a normal life and make friends among your age."

Naruto looked down after hearing this, feeling bad about how some of villagers treated him. Why didn't they understand that he was just a small child, not a monster or demon? It wasn't his fault that the kyuubi attacked their village.

Hiruzen put a hand on his head to show his support. "Don't think about it too much Naruto-kun. Humans always fear what they don't understand."

Naruto smiled a little, thankful for his support, and was glad that he had people like Hiruzen, Itachi, Iruka and Shisui who cared about him so much. "Just you wait Jiji," he said with determination. "A day will come when everyone in the village will respect me and acknowledge me as someone important. This is the village my parents sacrificed everything for and died protecting. I will do the same. I will protect the village till my last breath."

Hiruzen smiled at him with pride and said, "I don't doubt that."

Itachi was relieved that Naruto had taken the news so well and now decided it was time to get them on the topic that he had come here for. He wanted answers. "Hokage-sama, all this doesn't explain how Naruto awakened the Sharingan. As you know, neither Kushina oba-san or Minato-sama belong to the Uchiha clan. How is it possible?"

 _Oba-san?_ Naruto wondered, but decided to ask him later. He wanted Hiruzen's answer as much as Itachi did.

"You're wrong on that Itachi. Minato had very strong ties to the Uchiha clan." Hiruzen responded calmly.

Itachi was shocked. "What do you mean Hokage-sama? How is it possible? And if he did, why keep it a secret?"

"Only a few people know about Minato's family lineage and his full history before he came to village. People only know him as a war orphaned kid but in reality he was the grandson of the village's greatest traitor, Madara Uchiha."

Itachi was shocked to the core and his eyes widened. Madara was the former head of the Uchiha clan and the co-founder of the village Konoha, the strongest Uchiha to ever live and 2nd strongest shinobi of his time after Hashirama Senju. Who would have thought the village's most beloved Hokage, Minato Namikaze, could be the grandson of the most hated shinobi to come out of Konoha? But before Itachi could ask any questions, Naruto spoke.

Naruto was also shocked. "M-madara Uchiha? But how? Why didn't anybody know about it?" Naruto's shock made his questions come rapidly.

"Not many people know today, but when Madara left the village, he also had a 5-year-old son and wife who he had left behind," Hiruzen began. "Because of his actions, there were many attempts on their lives from within the clan and from the village. Seeing all this, Hashirama faked their deaths with the help of his brother Tobirama to give them a normal life outside the village."

Hiruzen paused but both Itachi and Naruto were stunned into silence, and Hiruzen continued. "They lived outside the village in a nearby town with their fake identities and both the first and second Hokages kept in contact with them. As the child grew, his hate for the Uchiha clan and especially for his father also grew with him. He never became a shinobi and never awakened his Sharingan though. He was a simple farmer and in time he married a woman named Meera Namikaze and they had a son who was named Minato Namikaze."

Itachi tried to process this new information. "But Hokage-sama, why did Minato-sama come to the village?"

"His parents were both killed during the second war by some shinobi and at that time, Minato awakened his Sharingan for the first time. He was only 6 at that time and his father Izuna, noticing his eyes, told him to go to Konoha and contact Tobirama Senju, the second Hokage."

"But weren't there people in the village who noticed his eyes?" Itachi asked.

"No, it was a well-kept secret," Hiruzen answered. "When Minato meet the second Hokage and told him everything, he also said that his father wished for him to not getting involved with the Uchiha clan. Then Tobirama-sensei took Minato under him and with the help of Mito Uzumaki, he prepared a seal to hide his eyes so no one would discover it. Later, though, Minato told some of his close friends and people he trusted."

"Wow, this is lot to take in on one day Jii-chan," Naruto muttered. "I would never have imagined that I could be related to so many strong people. First I learn that I'm the son of the fourth Hokage and then that I'm the great-grandson of Hashirama Senju, and now that I'm also the great-grandson of Madara Uchiha."

"That you are, Naruto-kun. But if the news of your heritage becomes known, your life will be in grave danger. There are forces in and outside the village who would be after you if they knew. That is why I kept the identity of your parents hidden."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Don't worry Jiji, I won't tell anyone about it." Then he asked the question which he had wanted to know his whole life. "Jii-chan, is there any more of my family out there?"

Hiruzen smiled at the innocent look on Naruto's face and happily responded. "Well of course there is Naruto. You already know them or at least have heard of them. They are quite famous now. Your godfather Jiraiya was once my student and your father's sensei, and your mother's cousin sister Tsunade Senju."

Naruto was relieved at hearing he still had a family but then a fear come across his face. "They didn't abandon me did they?"

"No, Naruto-kun, they could never hate you. They just can't be in the village. Jiraiya runs a spy network for our village and is constantly on the move. He has his duties for the village but he does ask me about your wellbeing in every letter he sends me and he even sends money every month for your expenses. Your toad wallet is a gift from him." Hiruzen's voice was reassuring.

Then he sighed, thinking of his other student, and he shook his head a little and continued. "As for Tsunade, truthfully I don't know where she is. She left the village after the 3rd shinobi war and has only come to the village a couple of times. The last time was to meet your parents."

"Why..?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"She has her reasons. As for why she is not in your life, it's because she doesn't know you're alive. I have tried in the past to get in contact with her but my attempts always end in failure. She is hard to track down and I can't have Jiraiya go after her because he has been on an important mission for a long time."

Naruto nodded in understanding but felt a new loneliness that he couldn't be with his only living family.

Itachi, who had remained silent, was still letting the information sink in. He was stunned to learn about the Fourth's connection to the Uchiha clan and was also worried for Naruto. If the information became known to the others, it would create some serious problems for Naruto.

He looked at Hiruzen without emotion. "What now Hiruzen-sama? We can't let the news about Naruto's Sharingan be known to others. How will we protect the information?"

Hiruzen nodded in seriousness and responded. "You're right about that Itachi. We can't let that happen, but you don't have to worry about that. Just give me couple of days to find the seal in Minato's notes. He didn't use his Sharingan much but he kept the notes on the seal safe. After putting the seal on Naruto eyes, we don't have to worry about anything".

Itachi nodded, relieved.

Hiruzen turned then to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, don't ever tell anyone about what I've told you. Wait until you fully trust a person to keep your secrets hidden, alright?"

"Hai Jii-chan, don't worry, I can keep secrets." Naruto responded.

Hiruzen smiled at him, then looked at Itachi. "Itachi, make sure no one from the Uchiha clan knows about Naruto possessing the Sharingan. I also leave Naruto to you, so you can train him properly on how to use Sharingan."

Itachi nodded and smiled. He would have done that even if the Hokage hadn't told him to. "You don't have to tell me Hokage-sama, I already planned on doing it."

Naruto give him a big grin. "I am ready for anything Nii-san!"

Hiruzen and Itachi both laughed at his expression and were glad that Naruto had taken the news calmly.

"I think that is it for today Naruto-kun," Hiruzen said. "You should go rest now and give yourself time to relax. You had a very long day today."

"Come on Naruto-kun, I'll drop you at your apartment," Itachi said and went to his knees, showing his back to Naruto for him to climb on.

Naruto happily climbed on Itachi's back and tightened his hold on him before waving goodbye to Hiruzen. "I'll see you later Jii-chan."

Hiruzen nodded at him with smile on his face, and as they retreated, he muttered with a long sigh. "Well it went pretty well, thank kami." Then he looked at the portrait of the late fourth Hokage with a faint smile as he became lost in his thoughts. _You will be so proud seeing your son Minato. Both you and Kushina, I 'm sure of it. One day he will become a great shinobi and a man and I will help where ever I can in his journey._

 **( Time Skip 2 Years Later )**

 **(With Hiruzen)**

Hiruzen was standing near the window staring out over the village but his mind was elsewhere, thinking about Naruto and the decision he had made earlier in the day.

Naruto had grown excellently in the past 2 years and was performing much better than students his own age. The instructors in the academy considered him a once in a lifetime prodigy and compared him with the likes of Minato Namikaze and Itachi Uchiha from their academy days.

The news of him possessing the Sharingan had been kept a secret. Besides himself, only Itachi and Naruto, and now Kakashi and Jiraiya, who had been later informed about it, possessed the knowledge.

But that wasn't what was worrying Hiruzen right now. Now, he was thinking about the meeting regarding academy results that he had attended this evening with the elders.

 **(Flashback)**

Hiruzen was sitting with his old team mates and some of the Instructors of the academy looking over the recent performance of the students. He was satisfied with the results of the students so far and he looked at Danzo.

"Look at Naruto Uzumaki's report card Hiruzen," Danzo said, handing him the report card and also getting the attention of the others.

Hiruzen looked at his report card and to say he was impressed would be a little thing. Compared with Naruto's results, the other students didn't even stand in the same league.

His teammate, Koharu, asked in confusion. "What's wrong Hiruzen?"

Danzo was the one who answered her. "Naruto Uzumaki is again ranking at the top of his class this year, top in every subject, performing well above his age and known to use the jounin level shadow clone jutsu. He beat a senior class student who tried to bully him and his classmates, and he's also known as the once in a lifetime prodigy with the likes of Minato Namikaze and Itachi Uchiha."

Hamura spoke. "Shadow Clone jutsu is a very high level jutsu and for him to know such a technique is pretty impressive."

"Yes, he is very talented Hokage-sama but also very kind and respectful with others and his fellow classmates. I have seen him many times helping others in class and he never showed any arrogance in his abilities," Iruka informed them proudly.

"He doesn't fit in at the academy anymore," Danzo said. "He has shown great maturity and is very strong. I say let's graduate him early and promote him to genin rank."

The others looked at him in shock at this suggestion but it was Iruka who voiced his thoughts. "But he is too young to become a shinobi."

Hiruzen also nodded in agreement. "Iruka is right, he is too young at the moment and the time is different from our time. We are at peace now. We don't want children to fight at such young ages. Let him enjoy his childhood before getting involved with the shinobi world."

Danzo sneered at Hiruzen and his weak ideology and spoke firmly. "Don't be foolish Hiruzen. There were many shinobi who graduated at such an early age. Just look at Itachi Uchiha and today he's an Anbu caption. If we let him continue in the academy we're just wasting such a fine talent."

Hamura and Koharu agreed with Danzo, stating that the main priority was to make their village strong and Naruto would be a fine addition in their shinobi ranks.

"I agree with Danzo-sama, there isn't anything left that we can teach him at the academy." It was one of the academy instructors sitting next to Iruka who spoke.

Hiruzen knew that Naruto was strong and could already become a genin but he had always hoped for him to make friends with his age group, and to be promoted with older kids could destroy his career if they didn't treat him well.

He spoke after thinking carefully. "I agree with you, but as you also know, Naruto is a special case. If we suddenly promote him with kids he doesn't even know that could destroy his shinobi career and we can't have that. I have decided that instead of graduating him early, I will advance him to the final year class. There he will graduate in one year and during that time he can also get to know his fellow classmates better and form bonds with them, so he can put trust in his teammates.

Danzo and the other thought for a moment and finding this to be a good option, showed their agreement with his decision. "That will be a good option," Danzo said.

Iruka spoke in concern. "Are you sure Hokage-sama? Is it wise to let him graduate at such an early age?"

"I understand your concerns Iruka but I also can't ignore his performance. He doesn't fit in the academy anymore."

 **(Flashback End)**

Hiruzen sighed and brought himself back to the present. _Only time will tell if I've made the right decision,_ Hiruzen thought as he looked at the fourth Hokage's face on mountain above the village.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **PLEASE LEAVE YOUR REVIEW...**

 **FINAL VOTING RESULT-**

 **Yugao Uzuki - 19**

 **Ino Yamanaka - 12**

 **Kurenai - 8**

 **Mei Terumi - 8**

 **Hinata Hyuga - 8**

 **Samui - 8**

 **Kurotcuchi - 6**

 **Temari - 6**

 **Yugito - 2**

 **Shizune - 1**

 **OC - 1**

 **Naruto Uzumaki : The Greatest Prodigy**


	5. Chapter 5

**Naruto Uzumaki : The Greatest Prodigy**

 **CHAPTER - 5**

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 **Well here I am again with a new chapter, so how's the story soo far? I hope you guys are enjoying it and before starting I would humbly request you guys to please leave your review at the end of the chapter. It really motivates me. Also, please stop commenting about the pairing now. It's already has been decided with the majority of votes going to Yugao Uzuki, so it doesn't matter if you guys keep commenting on what girl you want with Naruto. Instead, please give me your review on the story and your suggestions or ask questions. If you guys have any I will definitely answer them.**

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Talking - Human speaking

 _Thinking - Human Thinking_

 **Talking - Bijuu and Summons**

 ** _Thinking - Bijuu and Summons_**

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 **( Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. )**

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 **( With Naruto )**

Naruto walked down the street, hands in his pockets. It was a cool morning and he wore a long-sleeved high-collared black t-shirt with the Uzumaki crest emblazoned on its back. His grey pants were wrapped with bandages around the ankles and he wore his standard-issue blue shinobi sandals.

Over the past two years he had changed a lot training under Itachi. But he showed less emotion around people and the opinions of the villagers who hated him because of the kyuubi hadn't changed much. They still glared and muttered names behind his back. But at least he now knew the reason for their behaviour, he didn't pay them much attention to them, only hoping they would change their attitude towards him one day.

He had also improved in skills. Itachi had taught him the Uchiha clan taijutsu style—the Interceptor fist—that capitalized on the Sharingan's ability to predict an opponent's movements, which he later combined with his humming bird style, creating his own personal taijutsu style unrecognizable from the other two.

In recent times, though, he had begun to notice little change in Itachi and Shisui's natures. They both seemed restless and were always in some kind of tension. Itachi had told him that some kind of tension had been building up between the Uchiha clan and the village higher-ups, though he didn't know the reason for that but hoped that everything would settle down soon.

Today he was starting his new year in the ninja academy and was happy and a little nervous going there. Happy because the academy instructor had seen his progress and advanced him to the final year so that he could graduate and became a genin at the end of the year. Nervous because he didn't know how his new classmates would react towards him. The senior class students had always tried to bully him and it had always ended with him getting in trouble with the Hokage.

Realizing he was getting late for class, he picked up his pace and started hopping through roofs to get there. He arrived at the academy minutes later and started searching for the class the Hokage had told him to go to. After some time he finally found a room with number "207" on the class door. "Finally," he muttered.

He was a little late and quickly went to knock on the door when he heard a familiar voice from inside that he couldn't quite place.

"Yes please come in," the voice said.

Naruto opened the door and was surprised to see Iruka standing there. He had never expected to meet him here. He also noticed that all the students were looking at him, probably wondering who he is was and why he was there.

"Ohh, you finally arrived I was waiting for you, come here," Iruka said, smiling, and motioned him to come near. Apparently, the Hokage had given Iruka the final year class to teach to ensure nothing negative happened to Naruto.

Naruto went over to him and faced the whole class, which was still looking at him with confusion.

"He is a new student here and will be joining us from today." Iruka informed the rest of the class. Then turning towards Naruto, he said, "Why don't you introduce yourself to everyone?"

Naruto nodded to him and faced the class with a stoic look and spoke. "Good morning everyone, my name is Naruto Uzumaki and I am looking forward to spending this year with you all." He bowed at the end.

Iruka smiled at Naruto and was about to say something when someone shouted in the class. "HEY... WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S NEW STUDENT? HE LOOKS YOUNGER THAN ALL OF US."

Iruka sighed at that before responding. "Yes, he was in the junior class but because of his performance the academy instructors with the Hokage's permission promoted him to the final year's class."

"But that's soo unfair sensei. We spent soo many years with those boring lectures and he just skipped them." A brown haired girl with red markings on her face whined from her seat.

Iruka finally had enough of it and said frustratingly, "That's enough. He is here because Hokage-sama allowed him to be, so you don't have any say in. Settle down." He then looked at Naruto and spoke. "You can go and sit Naruto."

Naruto nodded and went to sit in a empty chair at the back. As he was going there, he noticed some of the students were glaring at him and some were looking at him curiously. He didn't say anything and just went to sit quietly, waiting for Iruka-sensei to start the lecture.

"Okay, so before we start, I want to inform you all that as this is your last year in the academy you will be learning some basic academy ninjutsu," Iruka informed them.

When Iruka started his lecture, Naruto noticed that a couple of students were still glaring at him and he remembered that they were the ones who had tried to bully him in the past.

He payed them no mind and looked at his right, noticing a boy sitting there. The boy wore a bandana which covered his head and had a bang hanging in the middle between his eyes. He realized he didn't know anyone in the class and then noticed that some of the students had clan symbols on their clothes.

At lunch time, Naruto sat on the school terrace looking at everyone from above. He already met his former classmates who had come to congratulate him for advancing in the academy and now he was here alone. When he noticed some students coming over to him, he came out of his thoughts.

"Hey you...what are you doing up here alone by yourself?" It was the girl from the group with brown hair and red marking on both her cheeks.

Naruto looked at them and he remembered them from his class earlier. "I was sitting here." He responded.

"We're with you in the same class, you're name is Naruto Uzumaki right?" It was the same girl who spoke.

"Hai," Naruto nodded.

They all smiled at him. "Well my name is Hana Inuzuka of the Inuzuka clan," she said.

"My name is Hayate gecko," said a boy who wore a simple outfit with a long-sleeved, red-coloured haori, pants with bangles around his wrist and legs, and a bandana over his head.

Naruto nodded and looked at the final member of the group. "My name is Yugao Uzuki." She had straight, purple hair going down her shoulders, and wore a white coloured shirt with brown pants.

Naruto looked at her a little longer. He had never seen anyone with that hair colour and she was really pretty.

Yugao narrowed her eyes a little, noticing him looking at her hair, and she growled at him. "What are you looking at?"

Naruto looked away as he was caught staring at her but noticing that she was getting angry with him, he quickly responded. "Nothing, it just that your hair is really pretty, I've never seen anyone like that."

As he said that Yugao just looked at him, and then looked away to hide her blush. Right after that, though, she looked at him again and decided to tease him a little.

She leaned forward a little, raised a single eyebrow, and asked with an innocent look. "Hey...are you trying to hit on me, huh?"

"W-what?" Naruto spoke with wide eyes and a blush on his face.

"But I think you're too young and you're even shorter than me," Yugao said as she measured her height with him and then patted his head. "And you even look a little girly to me."

Hana and Hayate were barely holding back their laughter at Naruto's priceless expression. Yugao herself was also barely holding back her laugh.

Naruto, on the other hand, had a small blush on his face and at the same time his eyes were also twitching listening to her comments, but he composed himself a moment later and swapped her hand from his head.

"Why are you all here?" He asked, looking at her.

"What...I thought you'd be interested in talking to me." Yugao said, trying to look hurt.

Both Hana and Hayate couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing. But when they both calmed down Hana decided to save Naruto from any more embarrassment.

She spoke. "That's enough Yugao stop teasing him."

Yugao giggled in response and spoke. "Fine." She then looked at Naruto, smiled genuinely, and said "but thanks for the compliment anyway, you're the first one ever to compliment me on my hair."

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked them once again.

Hayate responded. "Well, we're hanging out here and noticed you sitting here alone and we decided to introduce ourselves and get to know you a little. After all, we're in the same class, right?"

Naruto nodded at him. Then Hana asked, "So what are you doing here alone? Don't you want to hang out with your friends?"

 _"Friends,"_ he thought, looking at them. He had never had any friend in his life. Sure, he used to hang out with his former classmates but he couldn't call them his friends. He wasn't sure he really understood the meaning of friend.

"I don't think I have any friends," responded Naruto.

They looked at him for a moment before Yugao spoke. "You're a little weird one, you know that?"

"Hey…then Why don't you join us? It'll be fun." Hana said with a big smile on her face.

Naruto thought it over a little and responded. "All right, but I don't want to go anywhere at the moment, so if you guys don't mind, can we just sit here?"

They all nodded then started talking.

"You know, Naruto, we don't know anything about you other than your name," Hayate spoke.

"Well, what do you want to know about?" Naruto asked.

"Well, just a little about yourself, what you like and your dreams for the future." Hana responded.

Naruto thought it over before he said. "I like ramen from Ichiraku, I hate when people judge others without knowing them and as for my aim in life, I want to became the Hokage and surpass one particular person."

Impressed looks crossed their faces but they didn't ask him who he wanted to surpass.

"Man, you really have big dreams in your life," Hayate said.

"Dreams don't really come true. They're just wishful thinking, nothing more. But what I have is a goal which I will achieve one day," Naruto responded confidently.

They smiled at him. "You must be strong, already in the final year this early, I bet your parents must be really proud of you," Yugao said.

Suddenly a sad expression came on Naruto's face and he looked away, not wanting them to see. It was always a hard topic for him that he never had the chance to know his parents. How could he know if they would have been proud of him or not.

"I don't know, I think," he muttered, still not looking at any of them.

"Hahn...what do you mean?" Yugao asked in confusion.

"I never got to know them... they both died on the day of my birth," he said.

All three looked at him with wide eyes and Yugao quickly apologized. "I'm sorry Naruto, for bringing them up."

Naruto shook his head and responded. "You don't have to apologize, you didn't know."

She nodded but her face looked troubled. Hana decided to change the subject. "We should get going the break is about to be over in a couple of minutes."

They all nodded and walked towards their classroom together for the rest of the lectures.

* * *

 **( Evening Time )**

Later, Naruto was in the training field with Itachi and Shisui, relaxing after his training session with them.

Talking about them, he also had noticed that Itachi and Shisui had started spending less and less time with him, always busy with their Anbu missions and always under some kind of stress and acting cold. He hoped everything would get normal soon enough.

Shisui was one of his most trusted comrades, after the Hokage and Itachi, and he had even confided in him about his Sharingan. Just like Itachi, Shisui was shocked at first and didn't believe them, thinking they were joking with him. But later he realized that it was truth and promised to keep it a secret.

Naruto looked up at the sky and watched the clouds. It didn't matter whether it was sunset or a night sky full of stars and a Moon. He always felt relaxed looking at the sky.

He was interrupted out of his thoughts by Itachi. "So how was your day in the academy?"

"Well, nothing much interesting. Just a normal day. But I met some students from my class and they invited me to hang out with them," Naruto responded.

Itachi and Shisui both smiled at him, then Shisui said with a grin. "Did you listen Itachi, our little Naruto-chan made some new friends in the academy?"

Naruto glared at him. "Stop calling me that Shisui-baka and besides, I wouldn't call them my friends. They're just my classmates."

Itachi shook his head. "You sometimes think too much. You should bond with other kids of your age."

"Look who's talking about friends, the ever great stoic looking Itachi Uchiha," Shisui muttered under his breath with a deadpan look.

Itachi glared at him. "But a shinobi shouldn't get himself attached with other people." Naruto responded.

"We are all humans Naruto. The emotions and bonds we form don't make us weak, they make us strong," Shisui said. "You want to become Hokage so that you can protect the village and get people to acknowledge you right? But why would you protect the village when you don't hold any attachment? But when you have even one person, then you will go beyond your abilities to save them and they will do the same for you."

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"Just remember that, true strength comes when you have something to protect," Shisui quoted.

"Well I guess I could at least try to make friends," Naruto muttered.

Itachi noticed it was getting late and mentioned to both. "We should get going, it's getting late."

Shisui nodded and said, "Yeah, you guys go, I have to report back to the HQ."

Itachi and Naruto nodded at him and Naruto went to stand up. "Argg." He held his right leg in pain.

"You injured your leg in the training," Itachi spoke and looked at his leg.

"Well Shisui-baka hits really hard," Naruto responded.

"Would you stop calling me baka, you squirt."Shisui growled.

Naruto glared at him and said. "And you stop calling me squirt."

"But you are a squirt." Shisui pointed towards his height and Naruto growled at him. "No I am not, I am only 9 you baka."

Itachi wrapped the bandage around his leg and then picked him up bride style.

"H-hey put me down! I can walk on my own," Naruto said in embarrassment.

Itachi smiled a little then looked at Shisui with a serious look and nodded at him. Shisui also nodded in response and said, "Don't be late Itachi." He then went off in his own direction.

Itachi walked off the training field towards the streets, which were empty because of the late hour. He was laughing at Naruto, who was on his back with a pouting face. "It's not funny," Naruto said.

"I'm sorry," Itachi apologized but still laughed a little. "But I'm just happy. You're really like a kid brother to me. So being able to take you under my wing like this makes me happy."

Naruto smiled at him in return and listened as Itachi continued. "I know you also think of me as your older brother and depend on me for anything."

Itachi was right. He really did depend on Itachi for anything and saw him as his own big brother, but in recent times he felt that Itachi was getting further away from him and he couldn't do anything about it. "Itachi," he said, deciding to voice his concern.

"Hmm," Itachi looked at him on his back.

"I was meaning to ask you about your behaviour. You always look stressed and always come late for training now. Is everything alright with the clan?" Naruto asked in concern.

Itachi didn't look at him. He had already informed the Hokage about this and he and Shisui were doing the best they could to control the situation, but it was getting really hard day by day.

"Tension between the Uchiha clan and Village higher ups is still very high. They suspect that the Uchiha clan was behind the kyuubi attack. Meanwhile, the clan is thinking that they are losing their power in the village and are making unnecessary demands. Hokage-sama is doing as best as he could but it's still not enough." Itachi informed him.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Naruto asked.

"Truthfully I don't know yet, but you don't have to worry about anything, we'll figure something out." Itachi assured him with a smile.

I'm just worried about you and Shisui," Naruto muttered, tightening his hold on him.

Itachi smiled a little in response. "You must be tired from all the training we did today. Go ahead and sleep, but there's one thing that's certain..." at this Naruto's eyes started to close but he did listen to what Itachi said at the last as he smiled and closed his eyes fully.

"I will never, ever betray you."

* * *

 **( 6 Months later )**

It had been 6 months since he had started his final year class, and he had already impressed everyone in his class with his skills and was now at the top of the class.

He started to hang out with Hayate, Hana and Yugao, and even met a couple of the other students. He even started consider them as his close friends, though Yugao still teased him whenever she got a chance and Hana also joined her now, but he still enjoyed spending time with them.

He even went on to train with them after the academy sometimes and seeing him making friends, Hiruzen, Itachi and Shisui were all happy for him.

He was now sitting in the class and next to him sat Yugao, who seemed to be paying close attention to what Iruka was teaching.

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts by Iruka when he heard his name. "Naruto, would you tell the class which jutsu this hand sign is used for?"

Naruto looked at the hand sign on the board, then answered. "It's for ( water style - water bullet jutsu )."

"Very good Naruto, as always." Iruka complimented him with a smile.

Some of the kids glared at him and Yugao looked him at the corner of her eye and smirked. "Wow, Naru, you're so smart".

Naruto sighed at her teasing game. "Would you stop that Yugao?" He glared at her.

Yugao just giggled in response.

"Naruto and Yugao, don't disturb the class and pay attention closely." Iruka scolded them.

They both apologized to him and went on listening to him. After some time, the class ended and Iruka called out to everyone. "Well, now we have physical class and we are going out for some one-on-one fights."

Iruka then took everyone towards the training ground and motioned them to stand in a straight line. "I will be calling out names and we will pair the opponents like this, alright."

He then called out the first pair and the fight went on for some minutes. After that, some more fights went on and Naruto observed from the side lines. This was the first time he had seen any of them fight.

He was impressed with Yugao, Hana and Hayate. As they beat their opponents, he congratulated them on their performance. He wondered if the other students were interested in seeing him fight.

Finally, it was his turn as Iruka called him forward with another student. The other students were muttering amongst themselves about how he would do against last year's topper but he ignored them as he stepped in the circle and looked at his opponent, waiting for Iruka to start the match.

They both made the confrontation seal with their hand. "Both fighters ready?" They both nodded. "Hajime." Iruka started the fight.

Naruto's opponent wasted no time in attacking him and went to punch. Naruto quickly side-stepped so the punch would miss him, and continued to block and dodge the attacks.

Soon, his opponent started to get frustrated and lose his concentration as match dragged on. With every attack, Naruto would either block his punch or dodge his attacks.

Naruto could read his opponent's attacks clearly. He wasn't using the Sharingan but still could see it clearly because of regular training with Itachi and Shisui. Suddenly, taking advantage of his opponent's lack of concentration, he went under his defence and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him staggering back. He then pushed him down and held a punch in front of his face.

All the present students looked on with wide eyes. Even his friends were looking at him in shock.

Iruka himself looked impressed. "Winner Naruto Uzumaki." Then Naruto and his opponent offered each other the reconciliation seal in respect.

Naruto went over to stand with the other students but just as he came to a stop, Hana held him in a headlock and messed his hair as she teased him. "Hey look Yugao. Our little, Naru is such a prodigy."

"Yeah, I didn't know our Naru was soo strong." Yugao spoke and looked at Naruto with an innocent look. "You're not going to force us to call you Naruto-sama from now on are you Naru?"

The other students were looking at their interaction with amusement and Iruka himself seemed to be holding his laugh Naruto on the other hand was getting embarrassed by all the attention he was getting.

He released himself from Hana's hold. "Get off me woman," and glared at both of them.

The others laughed at his embarrassment and he tried to hide his face from them. Finally, Iruka decided to stop this. "Alright, that enough everyone."

Unknown to Naruto, though, was that someone else was looking at him from the terrace and was smiling happily at his interaction with his fellow classmates. Itachi smiled sadly and gave him a last glance before disappearing in the wind.

Naruto looked towards the terrace, suddenly feeling that someone was watching him from up there. But seeing nothing, he assumed it was only his imagination as he followed the others towards the classroom.

* * *

That night, Naruto was in his apartment lying on the bed. He was thinking over his day but he couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was going to happen.

Even Itachi and Shisui hadn't come to the training ground today. But thinking about it, he realized he hadn't really seen Shisui for a week and he had only met Itachi a couple of times during the week.

He heard a knocking sound on his window and immediately pulled a kunai, but soon relaxed when he noticed that it was a crow. He only knew two people who used crows.

He went to open the window and the crow quickly came inside and circled around a bit before it was followed by more crows, until they all seemed to merge and Itachi formed in his room.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. Itachi was in his Anbu uniform but it was the amount of blood covering him and his clothes that caused the shock. "W-what happened Itachi, what is all this about?" He then noticed the tears marking Itachi's cheeks.

Itachi first went toward the window and closed it, then turned towards Naruto who was still looking at him with a shocked expression. "Calm down Naruto-kun."

"What's g-going on Itachi, why are you here like this, what happened?" Naruto asked hurriedly.

Itachi smiled at him a little. "I come here to see you."

Naruto noticed his smile and knew it was fake. "Why?"

"I am leaving Naruto-kun," Itachi responded.

"Where are you going? And why is there so much blood on you?" Naruto asked, getting a bad feeling about all this.

Itachi walked up to him and kneeled down to his level. "I am leaving the Village. As for the blood," He stopped and looked at his clothes. "I slaughtered the whole Uchiha clan, leaving my brother Sasuke the only survivor. I am now a traitor to the village."

Naruto froze on the spot. He couldn't believe it. His mind went blank and he didn't know what to think. He stepped back a little and looked at Itachi in complete shock, and didn't notice when tears began to flow from his eyes. He then grabbed Itachi by his collar and glared at him. "What the hell are you talking about? Why would you do something like that and where is Shisui?!"

Itachi tried to calm him down by putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I had no other choice."

"You're talking nonsense, where the hell is Shisui?!" Naruto asked loudly, losing his patience.

"Shisui is dead, he died a week ago," Itachi answered him and Naruto looked at him with another shocked expression.

"H-how?" Naruto asked weakly.

Itachi pulled Naruto into a hug and spoke. "Me and Shisui were both double agents. The Uchiha clan was plotting a revolt against the village to gain power and my father told me to supply the village secrets to the clan, but I told Hokage-sama and the elders. I became their spy in the clan but the clan started to suspect me so they ordered Shisui to keep an eye on me. They didn't know he was working with me to stop the clan from completing their plans."

Now it was starting to become clear for Naruto. This is why they had both looked stressed and had been coming late for training. This explained their cold behaviour sometimes. "But how could you kill the whole clan?"

"I had no other option. If I didn't, then the village would be caught up in a civil war, and other nations could try to take advantage of that. I needed to prevent another shinobi war." Itachi responded.

"But that was your own clan," Naruto protested.

"The clan is not more important than the whole village Naruto. I am Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf first. The Uchiha clan comes second."

"But you can't leave me, and what about your brother Sasuke?" Naruto tried to reason with him. "I'm sure jii-chan can do something to help you out."

"Don't worry Naruto-kun. Don't you remember you once told me that being shinobi means self sacrifice? That's what I'm doing. This is my sacrifice for the betterment of the village."

"But I don't want you to leave me," Naruto cried.

"Don't worry Naruto, I am sure you and Sasuke both will be fine. You still have people here who care about you." Itachi then hugged him tightly as tears flowed from his eyes. "I must be going now. Hokage-sama is preparing for my leave. I will be supplying information by infiltrating the enemy lines and I'll leave the village to you."

"W-wait, please don't go nii-san." Naruto tried to stop him.

"You're just like me Naruto. I know you'll understand me. Just remember that the nameless individuals who maintain peace from the shadows are true shinobi. Shisui taught us both that." Then he tapped Naruto's forehead with his two fingers. "And don't worry too much, we'll meet again one day."

Then his body started dissolving into individual crows and he gave one final smile to Naruto before fully dispersing. Naruto dropped to his knees and cried. He felt the seal around his eyes disappear and his Sharingan activated as tomoe started to shift. That night, he gained a third tomoe in both his eyes as they started spinning madly before stopping to show a fully mature Sharingan.

"Itachi, Shisui, I promise that I will became a true shinobi just like you both and protect this village with everything I have till my last breath. This is my promise as Naruto Uzumaki of the Village hidden in the Leaves."

* * *

 **( A week later )**

Naruto was standing in the training field looking at the big stone with "Shinobi" written on it in kanji. He had been standing there for an hour, just looking at the stone.

It had been a week since Itachi left the village and was now marked as S-rank criminal for his crime against the village. Hiruzen had talked with him and explained everything in detail as Itachi told him. He knew the truth but Hiruzen had asked him to keep it secret.

He didn't talk to anyone properly and became more quiet, even acting cold with his friends. The whole village was cursing Itachi for what he did, and he thought bitterly that the person the whole village is cursing for killing their precious Uchiha clan, was actually the one who saved them and their families.

 _"Shinobi don't fight for personal glory. Nameless individuals who maintain peace from the shadows are the true shinobi."_ He thought, remembering what Itachi had told him that night.

"HEY...NARUTO". He looked to his right and noticed Yugao running towards him and waving to get his attention.

He just looked at her as she come to stop in front of him and catch her breath. "I was looking for you." She waited for his response but got nothing in return so she shook her head. "Well anyway, me and Hana are going to the dango shop to get something to eat. Do you want to join us?"

Naruto didn't respond to her and walked past her. "I have to go for my shurikenjutsu training."

Yugao looked sad at his refusal. "Well alright then, soo you want to hang out later?"

He just continued walking. Some other kids from their class were also watching this but he didn't care.

"HEY YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THEN US HUHH," one of them shouted. Naruto continue to walk not paying them any attention.

"ANSWER US DAMMIT...I HATE YOUR ATTITUDE. ALWAYS TRYING TO SHOW OFF." Another one shouted when he didn't respond.

"MY MOTHER TOLD ME THAT THE KYUUBI ATTACK WAS ALL YOUR DOING." The same kid spoke. "MY FATHER DIED IN THAT ATTACK YOU MONSTER."

First, false charges, then a broad interpretation. It was precisely in these kinds of human feelings that the origin of war lay. A person wants to bury somehow the sense of loss after losing someone they love. This feeling, a feeling they don't know how to vent, snatches away their power of judgment, and runs wild. And then they hurt someone.

Each and every word out of the older boy's mouth made Naruto feel more and more weighed down. But still not stopping.

"You're not going to listen like this, huhh that's fine. We have other ways to get you talk." One said with smirk.

"Hey leave him alone," Yugao demanded.

They paid her no mind and threw a rock towards his head. Naruto dodged it without even looking. They started to throw more rocks at him and he continued to dodge.

The thought of fighting them crossed his mind suddenly. It wouldn't take him even three minutes to beat down these fools. But if he decided to fight them now, then he wouldn't be able to stop himself from killing them. These students didn't understand that the institution of school was protecting them.

"Hey what are you doing? Stop it now!" Yugao demanded.

"Don't worry, we're just playing here and he's a tough guy. He can handle it," one of them responded calmly.

Naruto suddenly turned around, jumped and caught the rock in his hand, then threw it back at them, deflecting all the rocks they had hurled mid air, and hitting the final rock from the hand of the kid in front.

They all looked at him with shocked expressions and didn't say anything. Naruto then turned around and walked off the field.

 _"Please... talk to me Naru."_ Yugao thought with a concern look.

* * *

 **( Time skip - Graduation day )**

It was finally the day they were going to graduate the academy and became genin. They were all sitting in the class talking with each other to pass the time while waiting as Iruka began calling students one by one for the ninjutsu exam.

They had already finished with the written test and shuriken and kunai throwing and now it was time for the ninjutsu part.

Naruto was sitting alone at the corner bench next to the window waiting for his chance. He was looking out of the window and not paying attention and showing not the least bit of worry about the exams. He was fully confident with himself to pass the exam without much effort.

His friends were talking among themselves and looking at Naruto from the corners of their eyes time to time.

His behaviour hadn't changed much and his friends still didn't know the reason as Naruto kept his personal life to himself and hadn't shared with anyone. He didn't even talk to them much anymore and had started spending less and less time with them by training alone.

"Hey broody-kun, are you ready for the ninjutsu portion of the exam?" Hana asked Naruto playfully.

Naruto looked at her, not liking being called broody, and responded. "Hana would you please stop calling me that."

Yugao and Hana both giggled at his response as they still teased him whenever they got a chance. "I would if you would at least try to be more open and talk with us. We're your friends, after all." Hana stated to him with a smile.

"I...am talking to you guys." Naruto responded.

"Really?" Yugao asked with a deadpan expression on her face. She then shook her head and asked. "Anyway, are you ready for the ninjutsu part?"

Naruto nodded. "I am ready. I'm not going to fail that's for sure."

"I think you shouldn't be talking about failing the exam Naruto. As far the results show, you were top in everything," Hayate pointed out.

Yugao put her head on the desk in depression. "Who would have thought that a kid younger than us would show up out of nowhere and out rank us all? I hate you soo much Naru," she muttered.

Naruto responded calmly. "Instead of showing your hate towards me, you should have spent more time in your training."

Yugao glared at him for his response and muttered. "Smartass."

Naruto just shook his head at her. He looked at the door as it opened and in walked one of the student with leaf headband in his hand, showing that he had passed the exam. He looked at Naruto and said. "It's your turn Naruto."

Naruto just nodded at him and stood up to go, but before he could walk, a hand grabbed his wrist to stop him.

He looked at Yugao who held his wrist. She smiled at him and said. "All the best Naruto." Both Hana and Hayate also nodded at him with smiles. He freed his hand from Yugao's hold and muttered "Thanks" and walked off.

He arrived in the class where Iruka sat with a couple more instructors. He came and stood in front of them.

"Good you're here Naruto" Iruka greeted him with a smile before continuing. "Now for the final part, you need to perform 3 techniques. First let's start with ( Substitution jutsu ).

Naruto nodded before channelling chakra to perform the jutsu. He substituted himself with a nearby chair then subsided back again to his standing place.

The instructors nodded with satisfaction and Iruka said. "Good, now ( Transformation jutsu )".

Naruto made the hand seal and muttered ( transform ). Soon smoke covered him before it cleared and showed the third Hokage instead of him. Iruka examined him and nodded in satisfaction with his perfect jutsu.

Then Iruka spoke. "Very good Naruto, as for the next jutsu, I already know you can perform this jutsu, but you still have to show me just for the formalities, so just make clone of yourself."

Naruto made a cross hand seal and called out the jutsu name ( shadow clone jutsu ) and made 6 perfect looking clones of himself. The instructors all looked impressed at his performance and Iruka smiled at him proudly. "Congratulations Naruto, you passed the exam with flying colours, here's your headband. Wear it with pride."

Naruto smiled at him before accepting the headband and tied it on his forehead. He then bowed to them in respect and spoke. "Thank you, sensei". They smiled and nodded to him and Naruto exited the class happily.

He arrived back in his class and went towards his seat. When his friends noticed his leaf headband, they smiled happily and congratulated him for passing the exam and started talking among themselves.

After some time, Iruka walked in the class and told everyone to settle down so he could speak. "Congratulations everyone on passing the exam and becoming genin but this is just a start of your career so I wish you best of luck. And one more thing I would like to announce is that we had many good performances this year but there was one student to surpass all the other performances and come on top." They listened to him closely. "The rookie of the year is Naruto Uzumaki".

The class looked at Naruto in shock. He was younger than them, and had arrived just a year ago in the class and yet he outclassed them all by becoming the rookie of the year. His friends also looked at him but Naruto just sat calmly. He knew it was just the start and that he would face far stronger tasks in the future.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Hope you guys liked the chapter. If you have any questions please feel free to ask, I will happily answer them.**

 **Please leave your reviews so I can know your thoughts on the story.**

 **See you all next time. Keep supporting.**


	6. Chapter 6

**NARUTO UZUMAKI : THE GREATEST PRODIGY**

 **CHAPTER 6**

* * *

 **Well here I am again. So how's the story so far? I hope you guys are enjoying it. By the way, thanks for the support and encouragement, especially to those who reviewed my story and PM'd me-I really appreciate it. Now without further ado, let's go on to the new chapter. Enjoy..**

* * *

( Talking – Normal Human )

( _Thinking -_ Normal Human)

 **( Talking - Bijuu and summons )**

 **(** ** _Thinking -_** **Bijuu and summons )**

* * *

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or any of its characters**

* * *

The graduation exams were over and Naruto was waiting for class to start for the last time.

Sitting at his usual place beside the window, he looked much the same as he always had, but he now wore the sword on his back that Itachi had gifted him, along with fingerless gloves and two kunai holsters attached to the back of his waist.

Today was the day they would be put in teams and assigned a jounin sensei, and he hoped that whichever team he was put on wouldn't slow him down.

"Good morning Naruto." Naruto turned and saw his friends settling down beside him.

He nodded to them and noticed both Yugao and Hayate also wore swords on their backs. "I never knew that you both were interested in kenjutsu. You never mentioned it before."

"You never asked," Yugao responded straightly. "We both trained with each other because we both want to become kenjutsu specialists."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her but then shrugged it off. Everybody had their own secrets. After all, he himself had kept almost everything about himself a secret from them.

He also noticed Hana but this time she was not alone. Three dogs walked beside her. He had never seen them before but knew the Inuzuka clan worked with ninja dogs as their partners.

Hana noticed him looking at her companions and introduced them to him. "You don't know my partners, Naruto-kun, since you've never been to my house. These are the three Haimaru brothers."

Naruto just nodded at her and her companions.

When he didn't say anything, Yugao's eyes started to twitch and she bonked him over his head with her fist. "You idiot...don't just sit there. Introduce yourself to them." She spoke in annoyance.

Naruto rubbed his head where she had hit him and muttered under his breath. "You don't have to hit me for that." But he shut up when Yugao narrowed her eyes and began to look mad.

He then quickly looked at the triplets and introduced himself, not wanting to get her more angry. "Hello, my name is Naruto Uzumaki and I am friends with Hana."

The triplets barked at him happily and jumped at him, licking his face in response. Naruto's friends laughed seeing this. "Look, they already like you Naruto," Hana said. Naruto smiled at them and rubbed their heads softly with his hand.

Their attention turned towards the door then as Iruka walked in with some files in his hand. By this time, everyone had arrived and were sitting talking with each other.

"Good morning everyone," Iruka said. "It's good to see you all once again. This is our last day together in the academy as you all are genin now and will be put in selected teams. But before announcing your teams, I would like to say something to you all."

He stopped for a moment and looked at everyone. "You're only genin, so don't get big heads. Train hard from now because this is just a start. You'll face many challenges from now on in your life, so be prepared for them and don't take it easy. Listen to your superiors, trust your teammates, and I am very proud to be part of this batch. Now, coming back to your teams, listen up closely. Team 1"... Iruka started announcing the teams.

Naruto listened for his name, hoping to be put on a decent team. Then finally, he heard it. "Team 12 will be Naruto Uzumaki, Hana Inuzuka, and Yugao Uzuki."

The three looked at each other. Naruto smiled, very much satisfied with his team. He knew both Hana and Yugao were strong and he could trust them and could work with them without any problems. Now he just hoped they could get a good sensei.

Suddenly, a hand came around his neck. He looked at his right and noticed Yugao with that look on her face which he had gotten so used to. She moved closer to him and spoke with a big smile. "See Naru, even Destiny couldn't keep us apart."

Naruto blushed at this and muttered under his breath. "Why me?" Apparently, he was still going to be tortured by both Yugao and Hana. They still didn't know when to stop.

"Now you all have to wait here until your assigned squad leaders come to pick you up," Iruka said when he had finished announcing the teams. "And once again, good luck everyone. I wish you all a successful career ahead." With that, Iruka collected his things and left the class.

While they were waiting, Naruto turned towards Hayate. "Which team were you put on? I didn't hear."

Hayate just pointed towards his teammates, Izomo and Kotetsu. Naruto had hung out with them before and knew they were very good friends with Hayate.

"Izomo, Kotetsu its good to see you guys again." Naruto said, greeting them. They both waved at him in response.

"I guess you were too busy with your girlfriend to even notice us," Izomo then said.

Naruto glared at him while the others laughed until finally some jounin started to arrive.

* * *

 **( Hokage office )**

Observing Naruto through his crystal ball, Hiruzen was happy that he had made some wonderful friends, but he wished the boy would open up more with them. _It's not always good to keep everything bottled up inside yourself_ , Hiruzen thought.

"So what do you think of him so far?" Hiruzen asked the jounin who stood beside him.

"As you said, he doesn't talk much, but he still formed a close relationship with his friends."

"He doesn't trust people very fast but he is very observant and is very intelligent. I believe he's always thinking two steps ahead," Hiruzen said.

"That has to be expected," the jounin commented. "You don't get promoted through your academy years with an ordinary performance."

Hiruzen nodded. "I expect you to take care of him."

"That's the least I could do for him," the jounin said. "His father was a very dear friend of mine. I may not have been able to be there for him in his childhood but now I'll be there as his sensei to guide him."

"You'll have a difficult task ahead of you," Hiruzen then said.

"Perhaps. But now at least I can get that troublesome woman off my back," the jounin muttered. Then speaking more loudly, "But if that's all Hokage-sama, I think I should get going to meet them."

Hiruzen shook his head as his best jounin gave a casual wave and walked out of the office. _Did every top shinobi have to be so weird?_ With that thought, he pulled out an orange covered book and opened it to where he had left off, reading and giggling at the same time.

* * *

"Where the hell is our sensei? We're the only ones left here," Hana said in annoyance.

"He'll get here Hana. Be patient, it's not that late," Yugao responded.

A couple of minutes later, the class door opened and a shinobi wearing the Konoha standard issue jounin uniform walked in. He had dark hair tied up into a spiky ponytail, dark eyes, and a goatee. But his most noticeable features were two scars on the right side of his face.

The three genin looked at him in astonishment.

"Team 12," the jounin said. It was more of a statement than a question.

They nodded.

"I'm your sensei. Follow me." He then exited the room and the three genin quickly followed him.

* * *

 **( Training field )**

When they arrived on the training field, their new sensei ordered them to sit down. The newly promoted genins quickly followed the order and then looked at each other, not knowing what to do next.

"Ahm, now what sensei?" Hana asked.

"Why don't we start with our introductions so we can get to know each other," he said, his voice slightly annoyed.

"We already know each other sensei, why don't you go first," Yugao suggested.

The jounin shrugged his shoulders and muttered under his breath. "Troublesome." Then he started. "My name is Shikaku Nara. I'm the head of the Nara clan. My likes are playing shogi, being with my family, and finding time to take a nap without my troublesome wife nagging me. My dislikes are traitors. My goal is to help you towards your goals."

He then pointed towards Hana. She nodded and started. "The name's Hana Inuzuka and these little guys are the three Haimaru brothers. My likes are my family, friends, and annoying my little brother. I hate perverts and people who don't treat animals kindly, and my dream is to become a great medic kunoichi."

Shikaku smiled and nodded in satisfaction at her. "Now it's your turn purple-chan," he said, turning to Yugao.

Yugao glared at him. "My name is Yugao Uzuki, not purple. My likes are my friends and training in kenjutsu. I also hate perverts, rapists, and Naruto's broody face." Naruto glared at her as she continued. "My dream is to become a kenjutsu specialist and a respected kunoichi."

"Now you go Blondie." Shikaku said to the last member of his squad, who simply nodded in return. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I don't have any particular likes or dislikes and my dream is to surpass all the previous Hokage and protect the leaf village and its will of fire and to live up to my ancestor's names." He spoke in a rush.

Both Hana and Yugao looked at him in confusion at the mention of his ancestors. All they knew was that he had grown up in an orphanage. He never talked about himself with them even though they were friends, and they always felt upset that he didn't seem to trust them well enough to share anything personal.

Shikaku also narrowed his eyes a little. _He knows about his heritage. Hokage-sama never told me anything about that._ He then grabbed his students' attention again. "Well it's good you all have your ambitions and are serious about your ninja careers but before you guys call yourself ninja, you have to pass my special test. If you fail, you'll be sent back to the academy for one more year."

"B-but we already passed the genin exam in the academy! Why do we have to do an exam again?" Yugao asked.

Shikaku chuckled at her question and responded. "You really believe that just by giving some answers on paper and doing a couple of low level jutsu that you're ready to become genin? That's just to select the candidates who have potential to be genin. It's your jounin sensei who will decide if you will became a genin or not."

"So what do we have to do now to become a genin?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes. Hana and Yugao also nodded.

Shikaku folded his arms and spoke in a lazy tone. "Coming on to that part as you see, I really don't want to be a sensei and babysit you guys. It's way too troublesome for me." His new students looked at him in shock. "But I can't just send you back, so we will fight here and whoever impresses me well enough will stay on as my apprentice. The other two will go back to the academy."

This shocked them even more. Was he asking them to betray each other? "WHAT...you can't do that. You can't just simply play with other people's careers just because you're too lazy to handle your responsibilities." Hana said angrily.

"Heheh...of course I can. I can't lose my reputation because of you. So I'll just pick out the best one." Shikaku smirked.

"I won't do it." Yugao muttered under her breath and looked down.

Shikaku raised an eyebrow. "Did you say something purple-chan?"

"I SAID, I WILL NOT FIGHT YOU JUST FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT." She shouted as tears fell from her eyes. "I won't compete with my teammates just so that I can be your student. I will gladly go back to the academy for one more year rather than have you as my sensei."

Both Hana and Naruto looked at her in surprise. Naruto had never seen her cry before. Shikaku responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "Well, that means less work for me. Now I only have two to select from."

"GO TO HELL." Hana shouted this time with a glare. "I also don't want to be on your team."

"Then it's decided. Naruto, you'll be my apprentice and we'll be a two-man team from now on." Shikaku pointed towards both the girls. "You two will be going back to the academy. Thanks for making it easier for me."

They both glared at him with hate and then looked at Naruto. He was just sitting with his eyes closed not paying them any attention. With expressions of disappointment, they gave one final glance towards Naruto before standing up to leave.

"I am sorry," Naruto said finally.

They both stopped and looked at him. His eyes were closed and it appeared that he was talking to them. They both smiled a little sadly but before they could say anything, Naruto opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry sensei, but I can't leave them like this," he said. "I never knew my family and never had any friends before I joined the academy. I was always alone, but when I joined the academy and met them, I slowly started to consider them as my friends. I don't have anything other than them in my life and for me they're my family."

From the shocked expressions on the girls' faces, they probably never expected him to say something like that. Smiles slowly appeared on their faces.

"One thing I learned in my life is to always cherish my friends, and what you're asking me is to just leave them behind for my own benefits. I can't do that. I'm sorry sensei but that is against my morals. I will go back to the academy with them." He bowed at the end and turned to leave.

Shikaku, who had appeared shocked, now tried to mask his happy expression behind his lazy attitude and muttered. "What a drag this is turning out to be." He shook his head. "So if this is your final decision, I will give you one more chance to think it over again."

"I don't have to think more about it, my decision is final." Naruto said, and the three friends turned to leave.

"Alright alright...come back you three. You all pass even though it is troublesome." Shikaku spoke with smile.

The three genin turned around and looked at him in confusion but not without a little hope in their eyes. "What do you mean sensei?" Yugao asked.

"Why do I have to repeat myself again?" he muttered quietly before answering. "What I mean is that you all pass and we're officially a team now."

"But how did we pass? I don't understand. We didn't do anything." Hana spoke in confusion.

"Your decision to stand with your teammates and not abandon them for your benefit is the reason you pass. Konoha village believes in teamwork and it's because of that we are one of the strongest villages in the elemental nations. I myself belong to the team Ino-Shika-Cho, which is famous and feared for its teamwork. I know the importance of teamwork." Shikaku explained.

"Aren't we supposed to fight you to show you our teamwork?" Naruto asked.

Shikaku shrugged his shoulders before responding. "It's no good, I believe that the teamwork develops with time. You can't just start working with each other in one day, but I wanted to see what your thoughts are about your teammates and if you'd be able to work together in the future. Also, fighting you all will be too troublesome." This gained a sweat drop from the three genin.

"He's not joking about that. He really is lazy," Hana whispered to Yugao and Naruto.

"So we really pass then, for real?" Yugao asked.

"Why do you guys keep asking the same thing again and again? You pass already but if you still want to go back to the academy, I can arrange that easily." Shikaku responded tiredly.

Both Yugao and Hana smiled and high-fived each other. Then Yugao turned to Naruto and put an arm around his shoulders. "I never doubted that you cared about your Yugao-chan, Naru, so don't worry, I will never leave you," she said with smirk.

Naruto blushed a little and pushed her away. "Back off pervert and don't come near me."

Yugao's face went bright red from embarrassment as she pointed her finger at him. "I'm not a pervert. Don't call me that."

"Then stop touching me and keep your distance." Naruto responded.

"But didn't you say that you care about me?" She asked with an innocent face.

"I never said anything like that," Naruto said.

"You did! I heard it clearly." She then turned to Shikaku who was watching the scene with amusement. "You also heard him say that in that amazing speech of his, right sensei?"

"I don't think he said anything like that," Shikaku said.

"Huh...if you didn't, then you didn't listen clearly," she said with a glare. She then turned back to Naruto and said with a smile. "Don't worry Naru, I heard you clearly so you don't have to be shy in front of me."

Naruto didn't know how to respond to her teasing, so he just folded his hands and snorted. "Hnn," and looked away.

As this was happening, Hana and Shikaku watched with amusement from the side. Hana turned to Shikaku and said, "You should get used to this from now on sensei because this is an every day thing with those two."

"Troublesome," was his only response.

Seeing they were not stopping though, he decided to step in. "Alright, that's enough you two, we are now officially a team. But we won't be getting a mission until tomorrow so you wanna go for some BBQ to celebrate?"

The three genin nodded at him happily but before they could move Shikaku called them once again. "You both go ahead. I want to talk to Naruto about something, we'll be just behind you, so you don't have to wait long."

Both girls nodded with curious looks on their faces but then left, giving only one glance back towards Naruto and leaving them alone to talk.

Naruto looked at his sensei in confusion. "What do you want talk about?"

Shikaku stared at him for a little longer. "The things you said about your teammates were very admirable. It's very good to see that you made such wonderful friends and it's very good to finally meet you Naruto. You're the spitting image of your father."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, not fully trusting him. As far as he knew, only the Hokage, Itachi, and Jiraiya knew about his heritage. But he remembered that the Hokage had told him one time that some of his parents' friends were also aware of him. Even so, he was still not sure if he could trust him or not.

"You know who my father was?" He asked.

Shikaku nodded. "He was one of my very close friends and I am also aware of all his secrets."

"What secrets are you talking about?" Naruto asked in suspicion.

"Don't be too surprised that he was my friend. I also know about your secrets and the one you keep hidden behind the seal." He pointed toward Naruto's eyes.

"How do you know about that? Only three people were aware of that till now." Naruto asked in shock.

Shikaku nodded. "Hokage-sama told me about that. I just wanted you to know that you can trust me with anything. I am here for you and I especially asked you to be placed on my team as that's the least I could do for you, for not being there before."

Naruto could see that his sensei really meant what he said, and finally nodded in understanding. "If my father and Hokage trusted you then so can I. I'm finally meeting one of my father's friends. I hope you tell me about him but I also don't want you to show me favouritism."

Shikaku smiled and spoke. "You've grown up well."

"Is this all you wanted to talk about sensei?" Naruto asked.

Shikaku shook his head. "I also wanted to know something." He stopped for a moment before speaking again. "I wanted to know if your teammates know about you being a jhinchuriki."

Naruto looked down. He had known he'd have to tell people close to him about his hidden secrets eventually. If he couldn't tell them, how could he expect them to trust him, especially now that they were a team and were supposed to trust each other with their lives. "I just don't know how they would react after knowing the truth. I may not show it but I really care about them and I don't want them to leave me and think of me like some people in the village do."

Shikaku put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "You think too much brat. Give them a chance. They will understand you. I've seen it today that they were both ready to go back to the academy so you could pass. Your teammates genuinely care about you, so don't you think they deserve to know about you?"

Naruto kept silent for a minute wondering if he could really tell them. "I'll think about it."

Shikaku nodded and spoke lazily. "We should get going. It's not good for our health to keep ladies waiting, it can be really troublesome."

Naruto laughed a little at his sensei's comment but said nothing. He had seen both Hana and Yugao beating the shit out of people and didn't want to be on the receiving end.

* * *

 **(With Yugao and Hana)**

They both had arrived at the BBQ restaurant a couple of minutes ago and were waiting for their teammates.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Yugao asked.

Hana closed her eyes in annoyance as she had lost the count of how many times Yugao had asked the same question since they'd arrived. "What's gotten into you? I already said I don't know. Just ask them when they get here."

Yugao just shrugged her shoulders. "I can't stop thinking why sensei had to talk to Naruto in private and not in front of us."

"I also don't understand that," Hana said.

"During our team meeting I noticed sensei kept eyeing Naruto from time to time." Yugao spoke.

Hana looked at Yugao with a teasing expression. "Hey...do you think our sensei is a pervert who likes young boys?"

Yugao looked at her with a deadpan expression. "Don't joke like that, I'm serious."

"Are you sure? I think you're jealous because of sensei spending alone time with Naruto." Hana giggled.

Yugao's eyes twitched and she glared. "Stop talking nonsense. It's nothing like that."

"I don't believe you, the way you flirt with him. But I can't blame you, he is very cute. Just imagine how handsome he'll be in the future." Hana got a dreamy look on her face.

Yugao blushed. "I-It's nothing l-like that." Then she calmed herself before saying. "It's just that I don't like his emotionless attitude. We don't even know anything about him other than his name so I just try to get him to open up with us and I really like making him embarrassed. It's better than having a serious face all the time."

"What are you girls talking about?" At their sensei's voice, they both looked up and noticed their teammates.

"Nothing much sensei, it's just girl talk." Hana responded as Shikaku sat down beside her and Naruto climbed in to the booth beside Yugao.

"What were you guys talking about?" Yugao then asked Naruto.

Naruto looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "It's nothing you should worry about."

"What kind of answer is that?" Yugao looked at him with a glare.

Naruto just kept quiet.

"We already ordered the food. It's should be arriving soon." Hana quickly informed them, and began asking Shikaku about the ninja missions.

When the food arrived, they happily started eating but Naruto stayed quiet, still thinking about the conversation he'd had with Shikaku and not sure if he could trust Yugao and Hana with his secrets. More than that, though, he was scared that they wouldn't understand him.

"Would you guys like to come to my house after this?" Naruto asked suddenly.

Shikaku looked at him silently but both Hana and Yugao got shocked expressions on their faces.

Yugao recovered and smiled. "Of course Naru... but why so suddenly?"

"I wanted to talk with you both about something and I'm not comfortable speaking about it in public," Naruto responded.

"Well alright then," Hana said.

* * *

Naruto's apartment wasn't fancy but it was very clean and well-maintained.

"Wow...your house is so clean Naruto. I can't even keep my room clean," Hana said, looking around.

"Are you sure about this Naruto?" Shikaku asked.

Naruto nodded. "I think you're right sensei. They deserve to know the truth. I can't keep it a secret forever."

Shikaku nodded in understanding, while Hana and Yugao both looked at them. "What you guys talking about?" Yugao asked as she looked at Naruto. "What do you want to talk about Naru?"

Naruto kept silent for a moment before closing his eyes. "I know you guys think that I don't trust you enough to tell you about myself." They listened to him quietly. "But you're my friends and you deserve to know some things about me, and if you guys decide to leave me after knowing the truth, I won't hold anything against you."

Yugao smiled nervously and asked. "W-why would we leave you Naru?" Hana nodded with her.

Naruto looked down. "I was born on the 10th of October, on the night of the Kyuubi attack. Many in the village hate me and think of me as some kind of demon and kyuubi reincarnation."

"H-how could they think of you as some monster just because you were born on that day, it doesn't make you any monster," Hana said.

"It's not because of that. You were told in the academy that the Fourth Hokage killed the kyuubi while sacrificing his life, but that's not true."

"What are you trying to say Naru? Of course Lord Fourth killed the kyuubi. And what's any of this have to do with you?" Yugao asked nervously.

"I am just saying that what you were told in the academy wasn't true," Naruto said as he looked at her. "He didn't kill the kyuubi because the bijuu can't be killed."

"H-h-how could you say that?" Yugao asked. "If he didn't kill the kyuubi then why would they tell us wrong, what do you know about it?"

Naruto closed his eyes and spoke. "You can't kill the bijuu and even if you manage to kill the beast, they will just reform again, so all he could do was to seal it away. So the Fourth Hokage sealed the kyuubi in me and made me a jhinchuriki." With this, he pulled his shirt up and showed the seal on his stomach.

They both looked at him with wide eyes and shocked faces.

"Then why would they say that the Fourth killed the kyuubi?" Hana asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

This time Shikaku answered. "The Fourth Hokage's last wish was for Naruro to be seen as hero for saving the village but some people thought it was better to kill him than see him as some kind of hero. So the Third Hokage passed down the law to never mention the truth about Naruto to the younger generation. Breaking the law results in death."

At this, Yugao walked up to Naruto and slapped him hard on the face. Glaring at him with tears in her eyes, she spoke. "Bastard...you could have told us earlier. I don't care if you have some monster sealed inside of you. You are still the same Naruto to me."

"I was scared," Naruto muttered. But seeing her look at him as she always had made him feel happy. "I thought that if I told you guys, you would leave me."

Yugao looked at him with softened eyes and hugged him tightly. "I will never leave you Naru, for me you will always be my cute Naru-chan."

Naruto was shocked by the hug but relaxed and put his hand around her waist and returned her hug. Yugao smiled and tightened her hold on him.

Hana walked up to them and put her arms around them both. "Don't leave me behind, we are a team now."

Shikaku smiled but didn't interrupt, looking relieved and proud.

They released their hug and Naruto said. "Thank you guys."

They both smiled at him but Yugao asked. "But why would the Fourth Hokage choose you? He didn't have any right to put such a burden on you."

Naruto didn't say anything, but only looked away. Yugao narrowed her eyes at this. "You already know something about this don't you Naru?"

Naruto just kept quiet until Yugao grabbed his collar and glared as she pulled him closer. "I've had enough of your attitude and your secrets brat, tell me now."

Naruto looked at Shikaku for some help but Shikaku's look told him ("do what you want I am not dealing with her").

"Hey... calm down a little, Yugao," Hana said.

"I want my answers," Yugao said, ignoring Hana.

"He can't just go and ask anybody to sacrifice their child," Naruto responded. "He chose me because I am his son."

Both Hana and Yugao looked at him in shock. Yugao released his collar and stuttered. "Y-y-you're F-fourth Hokage's s-son?"

Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Well of course I'm his son."

They both looked at his face closely. "Well you really look a lot like him," Hana said. Then she turned towards Shikaku and asked. "Seeing your reaction on this, does that mean that you're already aware of this sensei?"

He nodded with a long sigh. "I was aware of it from the start. His father was a very good friend of mine."

"Wow..." Yugao said, inspecting his face closely. "You really do look like the Fourth but I am not going to call you Naruto-sama."

Naruto chuckled. "I don't want you to address me like that just because of my father."

Yugao smiled at him. "That smile really looks good on you Naru. Please smile lot."

Naruto looked away with a blush, not knowing if she was teasing him again or saying genuinely.

"It's good to see that you've taken the news so well but keep in mind that you can't talk about it with other people. Those were all village secrets and I should say everything related to Naruto is a matter of village security so be careful." Shikaku's words got their attention.

"And I was going to tell my mother that I'm on the same team with Fourth Hokage's son," Hana muttered.

Shikaku looked at her. "I don't think you have to tell her anything, she's already aware of his heritage."

"How does she know?" Hana asked in shock.

"Most of the clan heads are aware of his parents' identities. We were all friends coming from the same class and his mother was on the same team with your mother and a very good friend." Shikaku informed them.

"Really?" Hana spoke in excitement. "So that's why she's always keep telling me to invite Naruto to our home."

"Well, that's enough for today," Shikaku said. "I'm going now. I expect you guys to be ready tomorrow for your first team assignment." He waved good bye as he walked out the door.

"I should also get going. I have pick up my little brother from the academy." Hana said, leaving Naruto and Yugao.

Yugao looked at Naruto. "Soo... I don't have anything to do, you wanna go out for a walk?"

"I don't see anything wrong with that," Naruto responded with a shrug.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Sorry for taking this long. I got into some personal problems and was not able to concentrate on writing but I will not take too long to upload the new chapter.**

 **Please tell me what you thought about the story so far in the comment box. It's always good to see what your thoughts are.**

 **Soo PLEASE LEAVE REVIEW...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Naruto Uzumaki : The Greatest Prodigy**

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

 **Welcome back guys. I hope you're enjoying the story so far and thanks for supporting the story so much. I never thought that I would get this much positive response from you guys so THANK YOU for that and here's the new chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

(Talking - Human)

 _(Thinking - Human)_

 **(Talking - Bijuu and summons)**

 ** _(Thinking - Bijuu and summons)_**

* * *

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.**

* * *

 **(With team 12)**

It was another beautiful morning in Konohagakure and the newly formed Team 12 members waited at the training ground for their lazy sensei to arrive. Today would be their first mission as genin.

Hana and Yugao were talking excitedly with each other and speculating about what kind of mission they would get, but Naruto stood quietly, his eyes closed, enjoying the morning sun on his face. After relieving such a heavy burden the day before when he had revealed one of his secrets to his teammates, he felt relaxed and lucky to have met people like them.

Even after they had learned that he held the kyuubi no kitsune within himself and was the son of the fourth Hokage, they still treated him like they always had. He hadn't told them everything about himself, but that would come in time. The important thing was that he now felt that he could trust them with anything.

"Naruto-kun," Hana said.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked at her as she spoke. "So what kind of mission do you think we'll be getting today?"

"I don't think they'll give us anything important or dangerous on our first day," he responded calmly.

"Don't be silly Naru, you'll see, we'll be doing a dangerous mission," Yugao said with a small smirk. "We're shinobi now, not academy students, and we can handle some serious stuff. But don't worry, I'll be there to protect you if anything happens."

Naruto shook his head but didn't respond to her. Then Hana continued. "You know Naruto-kun, I had a talk last night with my mother."

"What does that have to do with me?" Naruto asked her.

Hana narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "You still kept a lot of things hidden from us yesterday."

Yugao looked at her with a confused expression.

"What things are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"I talked about what you told us yesterday and asked a bit about your mother, Kushina Uzumaki, and my mother told me that she was the granddaughter of the first Hokage Hashirama Senju," Hana said. "That makes you his great grandson."

"WHATTTT?" Yugao said in shock and looked at Naruto. "Y-you're also related to the first Hokage?"

"I don't think that's anything important, so I didn't mention it," Naruto responded calmly.

Hana looked at him with a smile. "I know that you have lot more secrets. But I just wanted to tell you that we understand and will wait for you to tell us more about you whenever you're ready."

Naruto leaned his back against the training post and closed his eyes.

"So that's what you meant, when you said yesterday that you want to live up to your ancestors' names," Yugao muttered. "You're so hard to figure Naru."

Naruto didn't respond and a few minutes later, Shikaku arrived in a shunshin and greeted then lazily. "Good morning brats, you're pretty early."

"At least you could show some excitement sensei," Yugao muttered in annoyance. "we're going on our first ever mission today."

"Troublesome," he said in reply with the shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway, let's get going. We have a long day ahead of us."

* * *

 **(Mission office)**

"Team 12 reporting for duty, sir." Shikaku spoke, coming to stand with his team in front of the Hokage, who was sitting with his advisers.

He was really looking forward to this and couldn't wait to see the reaction of his genins, as during the whole walk Hana and Yugao had only talked about how they were going to fight some enemy shinobi or guard some important person. Oh how he was going to love those shocked faces when they came to reality.

"Ahh team 12, so you guys are here for your first mission today." The Hokage looked at each one in turn and settled on Naruto with a smile.

"But before that, I would like to have a talk with you both." The Hokage looked at the girls seriously, getting their full attention. "Your sensei told me that Naruto shared some of his secrets with you and I am very proud of you both on how you handled the news. I also hope that you will not mistreat his trust in you and will keep it a secret from others."

"We understand Hokage-sama, Naruto is very dear friend and we are happy that he trusted us with such a big thing and we will never do anything which puts him or our village in any danger," Yugao responded, and Hana nodded in agreement, getting a gentle smile from the elderly Hokage.

"I am happy that Naruto was able to make such wonderful friends," he continued. "Anyway, coming back to your mission, let's see what we have. We have a request to babysit one of the council member's grandson, or walking dogs, or cleaning the river..."

As he went through the mission requests, the genins stared at him with wide eyes, as if he had grown a second head. Shikaku could tell by their faces exactly what they were thinking. They were ninjas now; surely the Hokage must be jockeying with them. They weren't going to do that kind of work.

"I think there must be some kind of mistake Hokage-sama," Yugao interrupted. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow with an amused expression and Shikaku smirked. "I mean, we are shinobi now. Surely we're not going to do those kinds of missions, right?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it Yugao-chan. These are all missions that will be assigned to the genin teams," the Hokage responded calmly.

"B-but how c-can they be called missions?" Yugao stuttered. "Anybody can do those."

"Don't question people who are superior to you, genin. You will do whatever mission you're ordered to do, without any questions." Koharu, who was sitting next to the Hokage, scolded Yugao.

Yugao looked down and apologized. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama."

"Don't be too hard on them Koharu, it's their first day here," Hiruzen said in their defence as he looked at the young genins in front of him. "These D-rank missions are assigned to every new genin team to build up their teamwork, and they also help increase village economy, so you see that they are very important."

"A mission is a mission Hokage-sama, it doesn't matter what it is," Naruto stated with a stoic look, addressing the Hokage formally. Shikaku was glad for that, as it would not have looked good for Naruto to call the Hokage 'Jii-chan' while he was on duty.

But the Hokage sighed at Naruto's response and inwardly cursed Itachi for having so much influence on him.

"We will take a river cleaning mission Hokage-sama," Shikaku said, wanting to get out of there, as it was beginning to get too troublesome for him.

* * *

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Hana shouted in frustration as she stood in the middle of the river with a stick in her hand and a bucket on her back.

"You're not the only one," Yugao said. She then turned towards her sensei, who was lying under the shade of a tree with Hana's puppies. "Come on sensei, at least help us out here."

Shikaku opened his eyes. "This mission is for you guys to improve your teamwork. So stop complaining and finish up your work fast. We have other things to do after this."

"But sensei this is wrong, don't you see you're doing a crime by forcing child labour? I mean, look at him." Yugao pointed towards Naruto, who was working quietly. He looked up at the mention of his name. "Don't you feel his pain? He's so small and just a child and you're forcing him to do this cruel work."

Naruto's eyes gleamed at her comment. If she wanted to tease him, he'd give it right back. "Talk about yourself. I'm perfectly fine and I'm not some small child. I'm a shinobi."

"Ohh right, you're a shinobi now... but you're still a small child." She pointed towards his height and grinned.

Naruto glared at her. Until then, he had been working quietly and having a great time listening to all the complaining his two teammates were doing. But Yugao's teasing was too annoying to ignore. Why did people always mention his height? He was only 10.

"As I remember, you guys were talking about how you were going to fight an enemy shinobi or guard some important person," Naruto mocked. "But you should be happy with this work. Standing in the middle of a river is about as dangerous as you two can handle. But don't worry. I'm here to save your sorry asses."

Yugao and Hana in return glared at him and Yugao smirked. "Don't try to act smart in front of me, Uzumaki. Besides, you should worry about yourself. I've heard there are ghosts around here who kidnap squirts like you, so be careful."

Naruto felt a little shocked at her comment. She couldn't know he was scared of ghosts. Shisui used to tell him stories about them and how dangerous they are, but he had never told the girls of his fear.

"Don't joke like that, and let me do my work," Naruto responded, no longer wanting to continue the conversation.

Then Hana smirked. "Are you scared of ghosts Naruto-kun?"

"No," he replied quickly.

"Then why are you sweating, standing in the river?" Yugao asked with a teasing smile.

Both girls laughed out loud, and Naruto felt embarrassed that his attempt to mock them had backfired.

"What a drag," Shikaku muttered, looking at their interaction. "Stop fooling around and finish up the mission."

* * *

After doing few more D-ranked missions over the following days, Team 12 stood together at the Training Grounds.

"This is the worst possible start for of our career," Yugao stated tiredly. "This is really child labour sensei."

"Quit complaining purple-chan," Shikaku responded. "You will be doing these types of missions until you're ready for something more advanced. From now on, we'll do some missions in the morning, and later we will do some training here to keep your skills up."

The three genins nodded at him, and he continued. "I want to know, have you guys completed the tree climbing and water walking exercises?"

"Yup...my Mother already taught that to me," Hana responded.

Yugao also nodded. "I've also completed that".

Shikaku then looked at Naruto. He knew Naruto had the most chakra out of them all so it could be difficult for him to control it, but the Hokage had told him that Naruto had spent some time training with Itachi and Shisui and he wondered what they had taught him.

"I also know that sensei," Naruto responded.

Shikaku nodded, pleased. That meant less work for him, not having to explain all the chakra and chakra control things. He could now move on to some advanced training.

"That's good, it means you have decent chakra control to start training in your chakra element nature." He took out three papers from his pocket and held them in front of his students. "Take these chakra papers and channel chakra into them. This will show us what element you have an affinity for."

"What does chakra element and affinity mean sensei?" Hana asked in confusion as she looked at the paper in her hand.

"There are five basic types of chakra elemental natures. They are fire, wind, water, lightning and earth. Most people's chakra naturally leans toward a certain element." Shikaku explained. "These slips of paper will help us find yours. It'll tear in half for wind, burn for fire, get soggy for water, crumble if you have earth, and if you're lightning nature, the paper will wrinkle."

He then told them to channel chakra one by one and it was Hana who was first. She channelled some of her chakra into the paper and as a result, the paper crumbled.

"You got affinity for earth," Shikaku said. He then told Yugao to do the same her paper got soggy.

"So I got affinity for water," Yugao muttered.

Then it was Naruto's turn, who quickly channelled his chakra into the paper, already guessing that the paper would burn, because of his ability to use fire - style jutsus. So he was surprised when the paper split in half and then both parts wrinkled. His teammates were also looking at him in surprise.

"That's quite interesting. It's quite a rare combination you got there Naruto," Shikaku said with a raised eyebrow.

"Wait...what does that mean?" Yugao questioned confusingly.

"It means he has an affinity for both wind and lighting," Shikaku responded.

"I can see that sensei... but how can he have affinity for two elements?" Yugao asked. "You said that people's chakra nature leans towards a central element and yet here he has two chakra natures."

"Well, that is true but some people are gifted naturally with two elements. You can also develop your second affinity by training in it and you can also do jutsu of other elements, but that will take too much chakra out of you at your stage. Most jounin have two chakra natures, as it is one of the requirements for becoming a jounin." Shikaku explained.

"But you also should be aware that all five chakra elemental natures balance each other out equally," Shikaku said.

"How?" Hana asked.

"To put it simply, fire, water, lightning, wind and earth each have an elemental advantage and disadvantage connecting them to the other elements," Shikaku explained. "For example, fire is stronger than wind, but at the same time, it's weak against water. Each element has an advantage over another and is weak to another."

"Ahh...this so complicated," Hana said, rubbing her forehead.

"You guys wanted something interesting today, so I decided to give you something, so don't bother me with it." Shikaku shrugged. "I shouldn't be even teaching you about this. Many shinobi don't even start their elemental training until they're chunnin level. But you guys have enough chakra, so I decided to go with it."

"Soo, what are we going to do now sensei?" Naruto asked. Shikaku just shrugged his shoulders. "Unfortunately for you guys, I am not a ninjutsu specialist, so I will have to arrange something for you all. But don't worry. I will get some low level jutsu tomorrow for you to start with."

"Also I am going to apply some weight seals on you three, so you will do your daily missions and training with the seals on," Shikaku added. "It will help to increase your speed and improve your chakra control."

He then applied the seals on them and activated them. At their activation, the genins suddenly struggled to stand straight.

"I think you're trying to kill us sensei, at least show some mercy on us," Hana muttered.

"You'll get used to it in time," Shikaku said. "Don't you want to get strong? Now come on, give me 20 laps of the field."

"You are crazy," Yugao and Hana muttered at the same time.

Naruto was also having a little difficulty but not as much as the other two. Itachi and Shisui had used some weights before for him to train. But these were much heavier, he realized, as he joined his teammates in the run.

Some hours later, the three genins were sitting and relaxing quietly after their hard workout session. After running, they had done some shurikenjutsu practice, some taijutsu training, and then decided on their team formation.

"Ahh...I am so tired," Hana muttered.

"You all did well today. Get used to this from now on. This will be our daily schedule," Shikaku told them and got a glare from Hana and Yugao in return.

Naruto looked up at the sky and realized that it was already evening and the sun was going to go down soon. He stood to leave.

"Where are you going Naru?" Yugao asked.

"The sun is going to set soon," he answered. "So I'm going to enjoy the view as I have nothing else important to do right now."

His teammates and sensei looked at him in surprise. "Well then can I come with you," Hana said. "I also don't have anything to do now."

Naruto thought for a moment and then nodded. Hana grinned at him then looked at Yugao. "What about you Yugao?"

Yugao nodded and looked at their lazy sensei. "Come on sensei come with us."

"Troublesome," Shikaku muttered before accepting their offer. It would be good bonding time.

* * *

 **(Hokage Monument)**

"Wowww..." Both Hana and Yugao said in awe at the view before them. They were standing on the Fourth Hokage's head looking out at the sunset as it ignited their whole village into a fiery work of art.

"This is soo beautiful. I have never seen anything like this in my life," Yugao whispered.

"I always used to come here with the Hokage to enjoy the view. It's always peaceful here and it's the only place I can talk to him," Naruto said, looking at great stone face of his father. Shikaku and his teammates smiled in response.

Shikaku was enjoying the time as well. Just leaving every troublesome thing behind while relaxing was exactly the kind of thing he liked to do.

"Can I ask you something Naruto?" Yugao said, breaking the silence. Naruto looked at her and nodded.

"Why didn't you ever talk much in the class?" She asked.

Naruto thought about his academy days. He'd had his priorities clear from the start even before the academy and he had not been there to have fun or to make friends and nobody had really interested him there. To him, all the other students had seemed to have it so easy and knew nothing of the outside world.

He looked at her. "There was nothing to talk about and nobody understood me there. They were all living in their fantasy worlds, thinking nothing was wrong in this world."

"They were not doing anything wrong with that," Shikaku said. "That's what they were supposed to do and that's what you were supposed to do. That's why we have an academy to let students make friends before becoming ninja."

"Then why did you start to talk and hangout with us?" Hana asked.

Naruto chuckled a little before saying. "You guys were the first ones who came to me to talk without crumbling or just telling me how strong I was or how cute I was, or asking me out on a date."

"Which girl in her right mind would like to go on a date with you?" Yugao muttered, earning a glare from him.

"Are you serious?" Hana said with a surprised look.

Naruto nodded. "Why did you want to become kunoichi?"

"I am not from any clan and even in my family not many people became shinobi," Yugao answered. "Only my father and grandfather were shinobi. I'm actually the first ever kunoichi from my family. So I wanted to become as strong as possible so I can make my parents proud of me."

"I also wanted to become a kunoichi to make my mother and my clan proud of me," Hana said.

Naruto nodded, not really surprised by their responses. He had already heard that kind of thing from others as well. But at least they were serious with their training and careers.

"You know, you always say that you want to become Hokage. But you never mentioned any particular reason." Yugao said. "Is it because of who your ancestors were and wanting to live up to them?"

Naruto hesitated to tell them his real reasons. The last time he had told his dreams to his former classmates, they had laughed at him. He wondered if his teammates would understand him. "That's not totally wrong. I want to live up to my predecessors' names. But my main reason is that I want to stop all the fighting in this world."

His answer seemed to surprise his teammates. "What do you mean by that Naruto?" Shikaku asked.

Naruto looked ahead towards the setting sun and thought for a moment before he spoke. "I may not have seen any war or anyone dying in front of me. But I know war brings meaningless deaths and suffering. Shinobi kill each other in the name of the village."

"But to stop that I need power and the people only listen to those who have power. So I want to be the greatest ninja ever, great enough that I can erase all meaningless fighting from this world. And being Hokage will give me the power to do that."

"I'm surprised to hear you talk so mature," Shikaku said. "You're only 10 and yet you talk of the shinobi world as if you've experienced it."

"Yeah, you sometimes talk really weird," Yugao said. "It's very hard to figure you out. The moment I think I understand you, you go and say something like this."

Naruto chuckled a little, but there was some bitterness in it. "I can totally agree with you on that Yugao," he said. "I don't even know myself up till now. I am still trying to figure myself out. Am I the jinchuriki of the kyuubi, just a village weapon to be used in war, or am I Naruto Uzumaki on whom some people trusted what they had left behind?" He spoke bitterly. So many people expected great things from him, and it felt like a burden.

"Stop talking nonsense," Yugao said, glaring at him. "I told you before it doesn't matter if you have a fucking kyuubi sealed in your gut or if you're the son or great grandson of the Hokage. You're still your own person, you have your own life in front of you to do what you want, nothing is written in stone and everyone carves their own path. And stop putting so much pressure on yourself because of your family name. The Naru I know will never crack under any pressure. He can overcome anything."

Naruto looked at her in surprise and then smiled a moment later. "When did you became this smart _'purple-chan'?_ "

Hana and Shikaku smiled at them.

"Alright, that's enough, it's getting late," Shikaku said. "Go and rest, you will have a busy day again tomorrow." He wanted to leave as soon as possible because he had some very important topics to discuss with the Hokage. "Don't be late tomorrow," he added before vanishing in the leaves.

The genins looked at each other and then bid each other good night before going their separate ways.

* * *

 **(Hokage office)**

"I'm concerned and alarmed by Naruto's thinking," Shikaku said to the Hokage a few minutes later. "These should not be the thoughts of any 10 year old child. It's not good for Naruto to have these kinds of thoughts."

Hokage was troubled at his words. "This is indeed troubling Shikaku."

"Yeah... he is feeling too much pressure because of so many expectations," Shikaku said.

"Keep an eye on him Shikaku, and don't let him do anything unnecessary." Hiruzen said. "I am worried that Danzo might make a move on him. He always kept a close eye on his progress. I have already informed Naruto about him and told him to be careful."

"But on the other hand, it's also good that Naruto opened up with his teammates. After the death of Shisui and Itachi going rogue, he has started to act cold and has been closing himself off from people around him. It is good to see that he is overcoming that."

"Also his teammates are very understanding," Shikaku said. "They tease him, but underneath it all, they always support him. I think they are good for him."

"Yes indeed, I am certain now that my decision to put him on a team with those two was the right one." Hiruzen commented with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Well that's all I wanted to discuss with you," Shikaku said with a bow. "I will be taking my leave now."

Hiruzen nodded. "Please look after him, Shikaku."

"Don't worry, I will." Shikaku responded before exiting the office and leaving the elderly Hokage alone.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **How do you like the story so far? I know it's quite slow-going but now a lot more interesting things are going to start.**

 **I just wanted to develop Naruto's character a little more, explain his ideologies and get him closer to his teammates. That's why I revealed the knowledge of the Kyuubi to them this early.**

 **Also, the chunnin exams are going to start pretty soon and so will the arriving of our toad sage Jiraiya, but before that some C-rank missions.**

 **Also, on when Naruto and Yugao will start dating. I think it's too early for that-he is only 10 at the moment, let him enjoy his days of being single before having to deal with a "troublesome relationship." But I am sure they will start dating before the canon events start.**

 **So stay tuned guys and if you have any questions or want to suggest your ideas for the story please share them with me.**

 **Also PLEASE don't forget to leave your reviews on the story. It really helps me to write, soo PLEASE don't forget.**

 **Alright thanks for being here and I will see you next time. And please leave a review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Naruto Uzumaki : The Greatest Prodigy**

 **Chapter 8**

* * *

 **Note : As promised, here a new chapter and thanks for all your reviews on the last chapter. As for this chapter I will be making Naruto and his team do 1 or 2 missions; also Jiraiya will make an appearance very soon. So enjoy the new chapter.**

* * *

Talking - Normal Human

 _Thinking - Normal Human_

 **Talking - Bijuu and summons**

 ** _Thinking - Bijuu and_** _summons_

* * *

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto or any of its Characters other than this fanfiction story**

* * *

It's been two months since Naruto graduated from the academy and started doing missions as a genin. His relationship with his teammates has also grown deeper over the time.

Of course Hana and Yugao hadn't stopped making fun of him whenever they got the chance, but Naruto still felt that his team was perfect for him. They always managed to execute their missions without any fuss, and he was glad, because he had no intention of failing.

Although he was a little irritated that his team hadn't been sent out on any particularly difficult missions yet. In fact, thinking back on his time as a genin so far, the only difficult mission he could think of was when his team had been assigned to guard a business man and they ended up facing a group low rank missing ninja from the Mist village.

Naruto knew that if he was going to become strong and rise up in the ranks as soon as possible, he would need more challenging missions. Because of that he spent all his free time pouring his heart into polishing his skills under the supervision of his jounin sensei.

At the present moment, he was walking with his teammates and sensei back towards their village. They were coming from yet another successfully completed mission. At least the mission had been important, if not difficult. They had been assigned to guard the daimyo of the land of Fire back towards the capital.

The village of Konohagakure was within the territory of the land of Fire, and the ruler of the land of Fire was the daimyo. But although the village was located in the land of Fire, it functioned semi-autonomously, with an independent government structure that had the Hokage at the top.

On paper, the daimyo of the land of Fire was ranked above the Hokage, but currently the land's military power rested with the ninja of Konoha, so the relationship between the two was more like an alliance of equals rather than master and servant.

The land of Fire's daimyo visited Konohagakure annually. This regular event was important for both sides, and had been faithfully held even during the great war.

"This mission was a waste of time," Hana was muttering. "I was expecting some kind of action in this."

Shikaku sighed. "The lands have all relaxed now that this is not the war time, so travel between nations is much safer than before, which is why the village can assign this sort of mission to a genin cantered team."

"It was still boring, we just wasted our time," she replied with a pout.

"Guarding the daimyo was a very important job for us," Shikaku said.

This time Yugao looked at their sensei with a deadpan stare. "How was that mission important to us sensei? There was still an Anbu squad keeping their eye on things from the shadows. And the daimyo even had his own Twelve Guardian Ninja to protect him."

"We were just a formality in that mission, nothing more," Naruto stated.

"Well if you guys want to put it like that, then yes," Shikaku said with a shrug of his shoulders. "The roads are quite safe since the end of the great war, so a team that has distinguished themselves as the most promising genin team is assigned to guard the daimyo each year. So you guys see, you should all feel proud that the village higher-ups acknowledge our team as the best."

"Well if you put it like that, then I don't see anything wrong with it," Naruto responded.

Shikaku rolled his eyes. "It might be best if we pick up our pace. Otherwise we won't be able to reach the village before nightfall."

The three genin nodded at him and proceeded toward the leaf village at a fast pace.

Some hours later, team 12 arrived back at Konoha village. It was still early evening, and after they reported at the main gates of their arrival, they went straight towards the Hokage office to file their mission report.

* * *

 **(Hokage office)**

"So the trip went without any incident," Hokage said.

"Yes, nothing major happened, other than some bandits," Shikaku said. "But nothing my team couldn't handle. The daimyo was also very pleased with the service he got."

Hiruzen nodded and smiled at the genins. "You all did well. Guarding the daimyo is a very important task to be assigned to and your payments will be transferred to your accounts. Now go and rest a little. But come to my office tomorrow early because I have a very important mission for you."

The team nodded and bowed before him in respect before exiting the office.

* * *

"What a tiring day it was," Yugao muttered as they walked toward their usual BBQ shop to get something to eat.

Their sensei was following behind them with his hands in his pockets. Just then, someone blocked their path by standing in front of Naruto, and Shikaku was immediately on guard.

It was a man Naruto had seen with the Hokage many times, but something about him gave off an ominous feeling of darkness that put Naruto on guard too.

"So are you the Naruto Uzumaki that I've heard so much about?" The man asked, looking down on him.

The right side of his face was covered by bandages. He was clad in black, but his arm from his left shoulder was exposed, revealing the white robe he wore underneath. His left eye alone glared down at Naruto.

Unflinchingly, Naruto met the man's sinister gaze. Behind him, his sensei eyes were narrowed and his other two team members were bristling with tension.

"You are a bearer of bad luck boy," The man stated without any emotion.

"Bad luck?" Naruto asked, his face equally unreadable.

"You're birth led to the village destruction and even led to your parents' deaths." The man then pointed toward Naruto's stomach. "Chaos will follow you throughout your life. That is your destiny and you can't change it."

 _Chaos will follow you throughout your life..._

Who exactly was this man? Naruto thought.

"What do you want Danzo?" Shikaku said, glaring at him.

"I just wanted to meet young Naruto here since I've heard so much about him." As Danzo spoke, his eyes didn't leave Naruto. "They say you're the most talented and gifted shinobi, one who only comes once in a generation. I have a question for you Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto looked at him silently and waited for the man to continue.

"Ten of our brethren have been shipwrecked." Danzo said. "One of them has caught a nasty, infectious disease. If he is allowed to live, the other nine will also get sick and die. If you were the captain of that ship, what judgment would you hand down?"

Without hesitation, Naruto offered a response. "No matter what happened, the one who is sick is destined to die. If I were the captain, I would think that my first priority would be to save the lives of the other nine. I would choose to kill the one and save the nine."

A bold smile crossed Danzo's face. "A very unambiguous response." He moved toward Naruto and whispered as he passed. "I look forward to the day we meet again, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto felt the malicious echo of the man's voice sully his heart with darkness.

"Naruto..." Shikaku said, bringing Naruto out his thoughts.

"I don't like that man," Yugao muttered, looking at Naruto in concern. "His chakra made me feel sick."

"Who was he sensei?" Hana asked. "I had seen that man in Hokage's office and he gives me the shivers."

"Danzo Shimura," Shikaku said, his voice dark as he looked at the man's departing back. "He's a close aid of the Third."

Danzo's words lingered in the air and Naruto felt a sharp pain in his chest. Placing a hand where it ached, Naruto stared at the man's back as he walked away, until the pain disappeared. He turned to his sensei. "Sensei...what does he mean by, 'chaos will follow me throughout my life'?"

Shikaku looked at Naruto and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't pay too much attention to what he said Naruto. Just keep your distance from that man, Hokage-sama had already warned you about him, I think."

Naruto nodded but long after, still couldn't get Danzo's words out of his mind. This must be the Danzo that Itachi had once mentioned. Naruto suddenly became sure that this man had something to do with the Uchiha clan massacre.

He continued his walk with his teammates toward the restaurant, but his mind couldn't shake the meeting. He had to find out more about that man.

* * *

 **(Hokage office)**

The next morning, team 12 was standing in front of the Hokage building, waiting Shikaku. Finally, minutes later, their lazy jounin sensei arrived, and they all went inside to the Hokage's office to get their mission.

Hiruzen smiled and greeted them. "Good you're all here. As I said, I have a mission for you."

"Probably it will be something boring again," Yugao muttered in a low voice to her teammates.

Hiruzen chuckled and spoke. "No Yugao-chan, it's an important mission about village security, a B-rank and bordering on A-rank".

Then he got serious and handed a file to Shikaku. Shikaku read the name of a person on the file. "Mizuki, an academy instructor and a chunnin rank shinobi. What about him?"

"A few months back, his two teammates died on a simple B-rank mission," Hiruzen explained. "Upon inspecting their bodies we found there was no major injury which could result in their deaths and we found that they both died by suffocating. This left us to suspect Mizuki was behind it, so without his knowing, we monitored his activities and found that he is providing secret information to the village enemy."

"This doesn't sound like a mission that genin should be involved with," Shikaku said.

Hiruzen nodded. "That is true, but all the Anbu and Jounin I can spare are out of the village. As you know, with the loss of the Uchiha clan, our forces have been left weakened."

"Your team is the only other one that can handle this type of mission."

"So what do we have to do?" Naruto asked, satisfied that they finally had what sounded like a challenging mission, even if it was only a B-rank.

Hiruzen looked at him. "Investigate what kind of information he is supplying to the enemy and arrest him for his crime against the village. But make sure that he is captured alive for interrogation."

* * *

"So how are we going to go with this mission?" Hana asked as they all stood at the top of the administrative building after the meeting.

"It's morning now, which means that Mizuki will be at the academy," Shikaku said. "It gives us an opportunity to search his house. But we also have to keep an eye on him. Hana and I will go to his house. Naruto and Yugao will keep monitoring his movements from the shadows."

The genins nodded in agreement.

"But don't make any move on him until I get back," Shikaku then said.

A moment later, Shikaku gave the command and then vanished with Hana. A moment later, Naruto and Yugao moved towards the academy to do their part of the mission.

* * *

 **(Ninja Academy)**

Naruto and Yugao arrived near the Academy and hid themselves in the trees so they could look inside the class through its windows.

Iruka stood at the front of a group of seven-year-olds. Their target had white shoulder length hair, with a slight blue to it, and green eyes. He wore the standard uniform of Konoha-nin, which included a chunnin flak jacket and a forehead protector that he wore like a bandana.

"Why are there two instructors in the same class?" Naruto asked his partner in confusion.

"I heard the academy system is changed this year," Yugao said. "It's a lot easier now and the early graduation is banned because of what happened with the Uchiha clan."

Naruto nodded. He knew that a lot of things had changed in the village after Itachi massacred the Uchiha clan.

"You were quite lucky that they let you graduate early, Naru," Yugao commented as she looked at him.

"The village was in need of more shinobi because of the threat of war, with all the things happening at that time. You know there was the attempted kidnapping of the Hyuga heiress by Cloud shinobi and also a Iva spy was found in the village," Naruto said.

Yugao nodded. Naruto knew she had also been offered a chance to graduate a year early but her parents didn't approve. She then smirked. "Naru, what if somebody tried to kidnap me? What would you do?"

Naruto looked at her, but just shrugged his shoulders and took a thinking pose. He didn't want to give her the answer she was looking for, so he said with a smirk of his own. "I think I would be very thankful and I'd even help whoever was trying to kidnap you. I mean, if you're gone, then I would have one less thing to worry about."

Yugao glared at him and turned her head away. Seeing her expression, Naruto chuckled. It was always him at the receiving end. But he had learned one or two things by being around her and Hana.

They continued their mission seriously after that, and if they hadn't already known, they would never suspect him for a spy. He was polite with every student in the class. And just by looking, they both could see that Iruka and Mizuki were good friends who had known each other for a long time.

Half of the day went by just like that, both genin following Mizuki from the shadows, but they saw nothing that could highlight him as a danger for the village. But Naruto knew never to judge a person on appearance with the kind of world they lived in.

Some moments later, the other two members of the team joined them, and Yugao asked, "Did you guys find anything valuable?"

"Not just anything. That guy has full information on our Anbu and regular forces. That guy is a rat," Hana responded seriously.

"Did anything happen here?" Shikaku asked.

Yugao shook her head. "Everything's normal."

Shikaku nodded. "We have all the evidence we need. But we should also look into if he was working with someone from inside the village or if he was alone in all this."

Now together, all four watched Iruka and Mizuki coming out to the academy grounds with all the students behind them.

"Hey sensei, that black haired half sleepy kid, standing with my brother, looks a lot like you," Hana pointed out.

"Troublesome...he is my son, Shikamaru," Shikaku informed them.

They heard Iruka speaking to the kids and informing them of the rules of sparring. Iruka then started calling out pairs for the spar one by one. "Alright...Now Shikamaru vs. Choji, please come forward."

The genins up in the trees saw their sensei's son and a chubby looking kid come forward to stand in the circle. As Iruka was going through the rules, the chubby kid raised his hand and said. "So aumm...sensei. . ."

"Yes, what is it Choji?" Iruka asked.

"The thing is, I really don't wanna fight against my friends, you know," the kid said.

Iruka smiled. "Well, look Choji, this isn't like a fight. This is traditional shinobi hand to hand combat. Even our Hokage and those before him participated and became strong through sparring..." As Iruka was giving his lecture, Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders and started walking off the field.

"Yeah. . .look sensei, just go ahead and put that I won by being out of bounds, ok. Then you can move on to the next pair." Shikamaru said.

"Hey... wait." Iruka tried to stop him.

"You might be calling this fight training or whatever. But if there is gonna be a winner, then it's actually a match, and since that's the case, wouldn't its save you some trouble to decide who wins from the start?" Shikamaru spoke.

The genins in the trees looked at their sensei. Yugao spoke. "He is soo your son sensei".

"He really doesn't have any motivation," Hana commented with a chuckle.

"Troublesome"... was the only response from Shikaku they got.

* * *

Later, after nightfall, the team followed Mizuki as he walked toward the forest.

They had already informed the Hokage of their findings and had been ordered to arrest Mizuki as soon as possible. Their plan was to ambush him in the forest, away from the village. Shikaku had told them they would be doing the arrest on their own, and he would be keeping watch on them from behind.

As they moved deeper into the forest and came to stop at the clearing, they noticed another person was already there practicing. It was Iruka, and they realized that they couldn't make a move in front of Iruka. So they remained hidden, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Iruka...what are you doing here, at this time?" Mizuki questioned.

Iruka turned around to look at him in surprise. "Ohh, it's you Mizuki. I came to train here, but I'm just finishing now." He then went to sit on the nearby log.

Mizuki sat beside him.

"So how's the academy so far," Iruka asked. "Are you enjoying your time there?"

"The academy is alright but teaching those brats in the class is really annoying sometimes," Mizuki responded.

Iruka laughed at that. "They are not that bad and some of them are quite talented."

"They are still annoying to me." Mizuki responded.

"Don't worry, it'll improve, with time," Iruka said.

Mizuki shrugged his shoulders. "You must be pretty high in Hokage-sama's opinion, to let you teach a class full of clan heirs. So who would you pick up as the strongest out of all of them?"

"I can't compare my students with each other like that. But if I had to pick one, I guess I'd go with one of the students from my last batch. I have never seen a student like him in my entire career; I can't even compare him with anyone else. He was in a league of his own."

"Who was he?" Mizuki asked in surprise.

"His name is Naruto Uzumaki, he graduated from the academy this year," Iruka responded, and even from their vantage point, the genin could see the hate radiating from Mizuki. But Iruka appeared not to sense it.

"The kyuubi boy," Mizuki said, his voice dark. Iruka's face registered surprise. This was also the first time Team 12 had heard him say something different than his normal polite way. "Don't joke like that, Iruka. He doesn't even deserve to be a shinobi. I don't understand why Hokage allowed such a thing like that to be one."

Iruka stood up and looked at Mizuki in anger. "He is not a _thing_ Mizuki. He is a very kind hearted boy, who had things hard while growing up and he didn't even let other peoples' opinions affect him."

Mizuki just waved him off. "You don't have to put up an act in front of me Iruka, I understand, you just pretended that in front of the Hokage, to get on his good side. You had to be the one who hated him the most. After all, isn't he the one who killed your parents in the attack? But one day I am going to kill that demon, Iruka."

As this was going on, Naruto continued to observe his target carefully. What Mizuki thought about him didn't matter to him. Mizuki was a traitor and Naruto was going to make him pay for it.

Iruka tightened his fist and punched Mizuki hard in the face. "I can never see you as my friend from now. I never could have thought that you would be this kind of person. And you will never touch Naruto."

Mizuki chuckled darkly and touched his jaw. "Are you seriously fighting me over that monster? The Fourth Hokage gave us the chance to kill the demon by sealing it away and that demon is just waiting for a chance to strike. That's what monsters do."

"Naruto is the most talented shinobi I have ever seen. But he is also a very hard working kid. He knows the pain of others. He is not a monster, he is Naruto Uzumaki of Konohagakure," Iruka declared.

"Heheh...hahahahah," Mizuki laughed madly. "You're so pathetic Iruka, siding with the monster. You're useless to me now. I needed power so I told you to request the Hokage on my behalf to let me serve in academy. But now that I have the information I need, I should just kill you here."

And with sudden speed, he launched some kunai at Iruka. Iruka's reaction looked surprised and slow with fatigue and before he could do more than dodge, Mizuki summed a large windmill shuriken and threw it towards him. Iruka knew he wouldn't be able to dodge this one in time, and expected the killing blow any second.

But the pain never came, because in a flicker of speed, the boy with blond hair was suddenly standing in front of him, his back facing him. It was Naruto.

"You are under arrest for your crimes against the village Mizuki. Give up. You have nowhere to go, you're surrounded now." Naruto's voice held no emotion. Mizuki appeared shocked from the sudden appearance.

At Naruto's words, his teammates appeared beside him, and behind Mizuki , three ninja dogs stood growling at him ready for attack.

"Look who we have here, Naruto Uzumaki, what a lucky day I have." Mizuki laughed loudly. "Naruto, would you like me to tell you one of the secrets about yourself? The reason why so many grownups in the village hate you?"

Naruto only looked at him. He understood what Mizuki was trying to do. He was trying to shake him up emotionally so that he could have a chance against him and his team. But Naruto wasn't that weak.

"You were told that the Fourth killed the kyuubi. But that's not true. Instead he sealed it in a baby and that was YOU NARUTO...YOU'RE THE KYUUBI THAT ATTACKED THE VILLAGE 10 YEARS AGO." Mizuki shouted the words but seemed surprised by the lack of emotion on Naruto's face."

"Come quietly, or we'll have to use force against you," Naruto said very calmly.

"Haha..." Mizuki chuckled. "You really are a demon. You can't even show emotions on your face. But don't worry, I will kill you and the others here. You're all no match for me. After all, I am chunnin and you're all genin. I will be held as a hero for killing the demon."

Surprising every one, Mizuki suddenly launched shuriken after shuriken towards Naruto, who was surprised by the sudden attack and couldn't block in time.

As countless shuriken stabbed him in every part of his body without pausing, Mizuki raced towards Naruto and drove a kunai into his belly, laughing loudly.

Blood jetted out of Naruto's mouth, and the others could only watch in horror. Mizuki yanked his kunai out and took a half step back before immediately plunging it through the crown of Naruto's head.

"I killed the demon," he shouted with crazed laughter. But his laughter turned to shock when Naruto burst open in black feathers. Each and every one of the black feathers then transformed into crows and started to peck the head of Mizuki.

Naruto had performed the substitution jutsu at the last moment. Countless crows assaulted his enemy. Mizuki cried out, surrounded by a crowd of beaks so dense that there was no opening for him to flee. The enemy has been caught neatly in Naruto's clone technique.

"Now!" Naruto shouted from the tree above. Far from the flock of crows, looking down, he could see Mizuki shrieking. He also noticed Yugao and Hana standing stunned in their places not moving. Tears were falling from Yugao's eyes.

Realizing the situation Shikaku quickly jumped down and was performed hand seals for. (Shadow binding) The jounin then clocked Mizuki into unconsciousness. Naruto then quickly leapt down from his branch.

"Very well done Naruto," Shikaku complimented him and patted his head, then went towards Iruka to check on him. Hana came out of shock and sent a glare at Naruto.

Yugao, on the other hand, kept looking at him and walked up to him. And punched him hard in his gut, knocking the wind out him. "Idiot...I thought that he had killed you."

Naruto composed himself then looked at her with a smile and spoke. "I am alright Yugao; that was just a clone of me."

"Jerk, don't ever do something like that ever again." She muttered as she passed him. Then he also walked up to Iruka.

Iruka smiled. "You have gotten stronger from before Naruto. Thanks for saving my life".

"It was no problem sensei, I am happy that you're safe," Naruto responded with a small smile.

"Come on, let's get going. We have to report our mission to Hokage-sama," Shikaku said and supported Iruka to stand up.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Hope you guys like the chapter.**

 **If you have any questions, you can ask me or if you have any suggestions for the story feel free to share with me.**

 **And please leave your REVIEW on the story so far. That really motivates me. So please guys leave a REVIEW.**

 **I will see you guys next time. ENJOY YOUR LIFE.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Naruto Uzumaki - The Greatest Prodigy**

 **Chapter - 9**

* * *

 **Note : First of all thanks for the support and encouragement so far. Here I just want to point out some things about the story and about the last chapter. In the last chapter I decided to do the Mizuki incident because I thought it would fit perfectly in the story at this time. Also, how Kushina is the granddaughter of Hashirama will be revealed in the story sometime; I am just waiting for the right moment to bring that up. Also, this will be the last chapter before the chunnin exams start and also Jiraiya is going to make an appearance in this chapter. I will not take any more of your time, please enjoy.**

 **One last thing, thanks for all your reviews.**

* * *

Talking - Normal

 _Thinking - Normal_

 **Talking - Bijuu and summons**

 ** _Thinking - Bijuu and summons_**

* * *

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or any of its Characters other than this story**

* * *

 **(Time skip Three months)**

A man had been waving his kunai up at the sky for a while, before Naruto finally placed a gentle hand on his back.

"You done yet?" Naruto asked the man.

The man shoulder's shot up, as though Naruto's voice had awakened him from a dream, and he whirled around.

"The thing you've been trying so desperately to cut in half is my genjutsu," Naruto said.

"Wh-what?" The man looked at Naruto in confusion.

"Do you want to have a dream again?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes icy.

"Ee...Eee." The man moaned as he dropped his kunai and cowered at the sight of Naruto's eyes. "H-have mercy," he begged, tears streaming down his face.

Naruto kept looking at him.

"Naruto," a voice called from behind. Naruto looked back and saw Shikaku coming towards him with Yugao and Hana trailing beside him.

"Did you catch him?" Shikaku asked.

"Hmm," Naruto nodded and turned his gaze back to the man quailing on the ground.

Shikaku came over to stand in front of the man with a heavy sigh, Hana and Yugao behind him. "You can't sneak into the village and misrepresent your history just because you want to be a ninja, you know. That's not how people became ninja."

"I-I am sorry," the man apologized.

"By the way, this kid's only 10," Shikaku said. "We got kids like this all over the place, that's the world of ninja."

The man's eyes widened.

A resident of the land of fire had slipped into the village, with the intention of beaming a ninja. They were to secure the man, and put the fear of the ninja in him. That was their current mission. It was another D-rank mission, the lowest of all the ranks. Supposedly, according to Shikaku, D-rank missions whittled a genin team into shape, but Naruto couldn't get completely on board with this.

It had been 3 months since they had done any decent mission above C-rank. The mission to capture Mizuki was the last one, which had been a B-rank. Now they were back with their boring D and C-rank missions.

The routine gave Naruto a growing sense of urgency. Did he really have the time to be doing this sort of thing? There was no way he was actually training himself to master and improve his skills through these sorts of missions.

"Way to go, Naru!" Yugao called out, cheerfully patting his back. She was back to her normal behaviour now after she and Hana hadn't talked to him properly and had given him a cold shoulder for a month after his stunt during the Mizuki incident

"All right, let's head back to the village," Shikaku called out.

The three genin nodded and followed him back towards their village.

* * *

 **(Hokage office)**

"Excellent work team 12, as usual. Another successfully completed mission," Hiruzen said with a smile. "After all your continuous missions, I think I'll give you all a one week break. Enjoy your time off."

They looked at him in surprise, but nodded. Maybe now he'd have time to concentrate on improving his skills, Naruto thought, without having to worry about any missions.

Just as they were about to leave the office, the Hokage called to them once again. "One more thing Naruto, there's someone here to meet you." He gave Naruto a slip of paper.

Naruto was surprised. Who would be here to meet him? It's not like he knew many people or had outside friends. But he took the paper in his hand and read, and then looked at the Hokage with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you giving me an address for a hot spring, jii-chan?"

Hiruzen chuckled and shrugged his shoulders before responding. "You'll soon figure out when you'll get there."

Naruto didn't understand, so he just nodded and turned towards his teammates. "I'll see guys later." With that he exited the office.

* * *

Naruto walked towards the location indicated on the paper, still wondering who would come to meet him and why they had to meet at a female hot spring.

As he got closer to the hot spring, he heard a strange noise coming from somewhere. He looked around to find the source of it before realizing that the strange noise was coming from behind the hot spring walls.

Once there, Naruto saw a tall man sitting on a big toad and looking through the walls into the hot spring while giggling perversely and writing down notes. Who was this guy who was peeping at bathing women? He had never seen him in the village before.

Naruto walked up to man and said, "Excuse me sir...but it is not appropriate to peep on women while they are bathing."

The man waved him away without looking. "Go away...don't you see I'm doing research?"

Naruto tried a couple more times but the man didn't listen to him. Finally having enough, Naruto said, "If you don't listen to me, then I'll have to arrest you for your inappropriate behaviour."

This time the man turned to look at Naruto with a raised eyebrow. "You're a really funny brat...tell me your name."

Naruto stared at him. "Shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking?"

The man grinned and fully turned to face Naruto. Then he started doing some weird kabuki dance in a very dramatic way. "People know me as the mountain toad spirit sage who acquires immortality, also commonly called the toad mountain sage." He jumped from the toad head and landed in front of Naruto.

Naruto looked at him like he was crazy. "I didn't even get his name," Naruto muttered to himself.

The man was a tall and well-built adult with fair skin. He had a wart on the left side of his nose and waist length, spiky white hair that he had tied back into a pony tail, with two shoulder length bangs framing his face. There were red lines under his eyes which extended further down his face.

His attire consisted of a green short kimono with matching pants, under which he wore mesh armour that was visible at his wrists and ankles. He also wore hand guards, a black belt, wooden sandals and a red haori. He was carrying a large scroll on his back and he also wore a horned forehead protector with the kanji for "OIL"

"So what is your name brat? You look a little familiar to me."

Naruto looked at him in confusion but introduced himself. "I am Naruto Uzumaki."

The man grinned and said, "You're finally here brat, I've been waiting for you." He walked up to Naruto and looked at him closely. "Look at you, I couldn't even recognize you now."

Naruto realized that this was the person he was supposed to meet here. But how did this man know him? He had never seen him before.

"It seems you don't know me. Hasn't Sarutobi sensei told you about me? I am Jiraya."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. This was Jiraiya of the legendary sannin? This man was supposedly his godfather. Naruto had always wanted to meet his relatives and now, when he was finally face to face with one, he didn't know what to say or feel.

Jiraiya had never forgotten about him in his time away from the village. He was still looking after him in his own way and making sure of his needs and sending money for his expenses. And the Hokage had told him that Jiraiya would come back to him when his mission will be completed.

Seeing Naruto's expressions, Jiraiya shook his head he had expected this. He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and spoke calmly. "Come on, we have a lot to talk about."

* * *

Naruto and Jiraya sat on a cliff near a waterfall and during their conversation, Jiraiya couldn't get a clear read on Naruto.

The Hokage had informed him of some of the things about Naruto. And he could see that Naruto had a very sharp mind for his age and a very deep understanding of the things around him.

But that was to be expected. After all, you didn't graduate from the academy this early if you were ordinary and already on par with chunnins and some jounins. Jiraiya could clearly see his former student Minato in him and a little bit of Kushina in looks.

"So you have any pretty girl in your life...huhh-huh... ?" Jiraiya asked with a perverted grin.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't have time to waste on such things like that and besides, I'm still too young for that," Naruto stated with a shake of his head.

"You really need to open up a bit gaki."

Naruto changed the topic. "Is your mission complete Jiraiya-sama, that you're back in the village?"

Jiraiya sighed before he responded. "Well not really." Then he grinned. "But I wanted to meet my godson and see what he's been up to. I've heard many things about you. You're making a quite name for yourself."

"I'm happy that you came to meet me. I always wanted to meet you after Jii-chan told me about you and thank you for looking after me even if you're not able to be with me. But is that the only reason you're here?"

Jiraiya shook his head and stood. "No. Now come with me and I'll explain everything in the Hokage office."

Naruto stood too, and Jiraiya put a hand on his shoulder and shunshin with him, disappearing in the wind.

* * *

 **(Hokage office)**

Hiruzen was sitting calmly doing paperwork when Jiraiya jumped in the office through the window and Naruto followed behind looking embarrassed at their entry.

"It's not even a day since you arrived in the village, Jiraiya, and you're already corrupting Naruto with your habits," Hiruzen said with a sigh.

Jiraiya grinned and said, "I haven't even started yet."

Hiruzen just shook his head at Jiraiya's comment. "You'll never change." Then he looked at them and asked. "So what are you both doing here?"

Jiraiya got serious. "I want to take Naruto out of the village."

Naruto looked at him in surprise and Hiruzen sighed. "Jiraiya, I told you before, you can't take Naruto with you. It will be dangerous and can attract a lot of unwanted attention, which we don't want at the moment. Also, what about your mission?"

"At least let me finish, sensei," Jiraiya said. "I've found Tsunade's location and I thought it would be good for both Naruto and Tsunade to meet. That woman is drowning in sorrow at the loss of her family and not even aware that her nephew is still alive. I thought it would be good to take the brat to meet her...it won't take too long, so you don't have to worry about anything. Also it'll give me the chance to teach some wonderful things to gaki on the road." Jiraiya said the last part with grin.

Hiruzen's expression remained serious. "Are you sure that you can find her?"

"I am a hundred percent sure. That's why I'm here in the first place sensei," Jiraiya stated.

Hiruzen nodded after thinking for a moment. "Alright...you have my permission to take Naruto. I will inform his squad leader."

* * *

 **(On the Road)**

Jiraiya and Naruto walk silently side by side down the road. It was quite some time since they had left the village.

"So how's the life of a shinobi treating you?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto turned his face to look at him. "Not much entrusting if you ask me. My team hasn't done many high ranking missions. Still chasing after cats and helping people with their housework."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's what genin teams are supposed to do. You sound like you're in some kind of hurry."

"I know that...but I want to rise up the ranks as quickly as possible. I don't even get enough time for my personal training because of all the missions; even in the academy they didn't teach anything important other than theories." Naruto looked disappointed.

Jiraiya started to laugh loudly and Naruto looked at him in confusion, wondering what was so funny about it. "Hahaha...hahah...that's exactly what Minato used to complain about. Always wanting to improve. He even graduated from the academy at the same age as you. You really remind me of Minato."

At this, a small smile appeared on Naruto's face. "Jiraiya-sama...can I ask you something?" Jiraiya nodded at him. "I was wondering why Tsunade would think that I'm dead."

Jiraiya give a long sigh and said, "It's not really her fault in that. She lost everything she holds dear to the village." He shook his head before continuing. "After the kyuubi attack, Tsunade and I were informed by an Anbu that the Fourth and his wife died in the attack with their unborn child and Tsunade left, swearing to never return to the village. After that, sensei and I tried multiple times to locate her but it always ended in failure."

"I understand..." Naruto said with a nod.

Jiraiya looked at him for a moment. "You have to understand that there are people in the village who will do anything just to get you under their control."

Naruto looked at him. "Someone like Danzo."

Jiraiya stopped in his track and looked at Naruto dead in the eyes. "How do you know about him?"

Naruto also stopped and turned fully to face him. "Ohh…we just crossed paths with each other and he said hello."

"This is serious Naruto." Jiraiya asked, looking serious.

Naruto turned on his heels and continued his walk. "Don't worry, Shikaku-sensei was there that time." He didn't want to talk about his meeting with that man. He could never forget that moment, and the man's words were still stuck in his head.

Jiraiya joined him but kept quiet. They kept walking quietly for sometime before Naruto spoke again. "Ne..Jiraiya-sama... can you tell me more about Tsunade?"

Jiraiya laughed loudly. "You're showing quite an interest in Tsunade."

"I am going to meet her for the first time. So I should be aware of what kind of person she is."

"I see...so you want to have an good first impression on her..huh?"

Jiraiya spoke in thinking voice. "Well, let's see...In a word, she is unpleasant. Also, she likes to gamble a lot and she's well known in various countries as the legendary sucker. She's liked to gamble ever since she was young but her luck and skills just plain suck. She's known by that name since she's been duped out of her money by everyone and borrows money and runs."

Naruto looked at him not believing him one bit, wondering if he was really serious. Then he just shrugged and shook his head, and muttered under his breath. "What's up with these sannin? One is a hopeless pervert and one is a gambler. Who knows what kind of person the last sannin is." It gave him the creeps just thinking about it. "We don't even know how long it'll take to find her."

Jiraiya nodded. "We have to travel a ways. But we won't waste time." Naruto looked at him in confusion. "I'll use the time on you as we travel...I am going to train you."

Naruto felt shock. "You're really going to teach me?" This man was a legendary sannin, one of the strongest shinobi in the world, the one who taught the legendary Fought Hokage and saying he is going to teach him.

"Of course gaki," Jiraiya said, hitting him lightly on his back. "Your father was once my student and I am your godfather. So it's my duty to help make you strong."

"So what are you going to teach me?" He asked happily.

"I'll tell you later. But right now we are going to the next town. I heard there's a festival going on today. So we'll stop there and gather some information on Tsunade and enjoy a little bit ourselves."

* * *

Some hours later, when the sky was dark and full of stars, they both arrived in the town. They streets were full of life with people enjoying themselves with family, friends, and lovers.

All the shops were also busy, and kids were running around playing games. Naruto looked around in awe. He had never seen anything like this before. "I've never been to a place like this."

Jiraiya smiled at him. "Playing is important too. Get plenty of rest. Then we can move on to training. The festival is going to last a while so we're going to stay here while it goes on. We're going to do our training here. You can go and look around while I take care of some of my business."

Naruto nodded and checked his pocket for money before turning to leave. But before he could, Jiraiya stopped him and spoke. "Show me your wallet Naruto."

Naruto turned to look at him in confusion but nonetheless grabbed the frog wallet from his pocket and handed it to Jiraiya, who took it without hesitation and open it to look inside. After a moment, he took out some money from the wallet and handed it to Naruto, while keeping the wallet with himself.

Naruto counted the money and looked at Jiraiya. "It's only 300 ryou?"

"Don't question me like that," Jiraiya scolded him. "You know the three prohibitions of a ninja, right?"

"But that's my money," Naruto argued.

"That's not the point here," Jiraiya stated. "Those three desires make a ninja go bad. The three desires are alcohol, women, and money."

"But that doesn't have much to do with me," Naruto said. "I'm not old enough to drink alcohol, I'm too young to get in trouble with women, and I'm not the kind of person who spends unnecessary money."

Jiraiya shook his head. "Don't take the desire for money lightly. Once you start using it, you'll begin to use more. The power of money is quite scary. Your aunt Tsunade has nearly ruined her life because of it. So I don't want you to end up like her."

"You're really comparing me with my aunt?" Naruto said, looking at him in deadpan. "Besides, as far as I know, you're the one who's easily tempted with the desire for women, Jiraiya-sama."

"I'm going to finish up my business. Take my pack for me. My toad summon will come to help you, if you can't find me. So don't worry about getting lost." Naruto nodded before making his way. Jiraiya smiled and muttered, "He is a nice kid."

Naruto, meanwhile, looked around and had no idea what he should do; he'd never been to any place like this. Even in Konoha, he hadn't gone to any festival, always preferring his alone time or training. He looked at a shop where some kids around his age were playing ring throwing and balloon targeting games seemingly without any cares in the world.

He smiled a little and decided to go join them. But then he stopped in his tracks. He couldn't think like that. He was a shinobi now and should be spending his time in training and improving his skills, not playing around and wasting his time on useless things.

He of course knew there is a life outside of training and missions. But he also knew he shouldn't waste his time on it. He looked again at the kids and wondered how different he really was from them.

They could play because they didn't have any responsibilities. But he was a shinobi who had to serve his village without any question. They have their family to enjoy with, while he was alone. He wished Yugao was here, so she could drag him around with her. Then he promptly shook his head at that thought. How stupid could he be? She was nothing but trouble.

He hesitated a little before finally deciding to play and enjoy himself at least before Jiraiya started his training. At one of the shops, there was a kunai throwing game, and the shopkeeper spoke. "You wanna give a try kiddo?"

Naruto thought for a moment before taking out some money from his pocket and handing it to the man. The man gave Naruto a bunch of wooden kunai. A moment later, he launched all four kunai at the same time, hitting the target with each one.

The people who were watching cheered for him, and the owner of the shop handed Naruto a teddy bear as a prize. Naruto took the prize in his hand, wondering what use he had for such a thing. Looking around, he noticed a small girl standing with her parents. With a little smile, he handed the teddy to the girl. "Here...this is for you."

The girl gave a big smile and happily accepted the gift. "Thank you," she said and Naruto smiled back at her. The girl's parents nodded at with gratitude. Naruto nodded at them before making his way.

A couple of hours later, Naruto was laying in a grassy field with his hands behind his head for support. Away from all the noise, he enjoyed the alone time in peace. Looking at the night sky always took away his worries.

His day had started normally. He would never have thought this morning that he would be on the road with his godfather Jiraiya in the search for his Aunt by the end of the day.

"Wonder what those two troublesome women are doing back in the village." He thought about his teammates. They would be pissed at him, especially Yugao. He hadn't informed them before leaving the village.

He shook his head and wondered what was going on with him. He was thinking about Yugao a lot nowadays. He supposed it was because he liked spending his time with her. She can be annoying sometimes but he still liked her the way she is. She always managed to bring a smile to his face.

Getting out of his thoughts he realized that it was getting late and that he should search for Jiraiya. On the way back, he bought ice cream for himself and Jiraiya and followed the toad, which he guessed was following Jiraiya's scent.

He realized he was close when he heard Jiraiya's booming laughter. When he came to the front of a shop where the sound of laughter was coming from, the toad pointed towards it and vanished in cloud of smoke.

Naruto went inside and saw Jiraiya sitting in the middle of two women. Naruto just looked at him with a blank stare.

Upon noticing Naruto, Jiraiya said, "Oh, Naruto. Did you enjoy all of the festival already?"

Naruto didn't respond. Then he noticed his wallet on the table, empty lying flat. He went and picked it up. It was completely empty.

This man was now getting on his nerves. It didn't matter who he was. He had crossed the line this time. Naruto looked at Jiraiya with a death glare, breaking the seal on his eyes to show his three tomoe Sharingan.

Jiraiya laughed nervously. "C-calm down Naruto...we can talk this out like men."

"You broke all three prohibitions of shinobi in one go, you pervert" Naruto said angrily. He didn't normally lose his emotions but this man had spent Naruto's whole savings.

He started performing hand seals, which scared the ladies. They ran out screaming when he summoned a bunch of crows to start pecking on Jiraiya's head. "Wait Naruto... Naruto! I'll pay you back, I promise."

Naruto only threw the ice cream at him in anger. "You used all the money I worked hard to save...you idiot. What kind of person are you?" He about to throw the second ice cream but it slipped from his hand and hit the man standing at his back.

"What the hell? What you doing, fool?" A man standing next to the one he'd hit with the ice cream shouted at Naruto, who looked back at him in confusion. "You brat, you ruined the boss' brand new suit. That'll cost you 100,000 ryou."

"That stupid looking thing costs 100,000?" Jiraiya said. "That's a little on the high side. Do you really think we believe that?"

"What? Are you trying to pick a fight? You shouldn't for your own sake. The boss is a former chunnin from the hidden village of the rock. He was feared as a legendary Yaminin."

Jiraiya folded his arms and said in mocking tone. "Legendary what?"

The man yelled at them. "It looks like you wanna get hurt."

Jiraiya stood. "Naruto, this is a good opportunity to show you a technique. Watch carefully."

Blue chakra started to gather in Jiraiya's palm and started spinning in circles. Naruto looked at the technique in amazement.

Then Jiraiya launched his palm foreword, hitting the man in the stomach with force and sending him flying backwards into his partner.

"Wow..." Naruto covered his face from the force of the attack and followed Jiraiya outside.

"I went easy on you, but you guys sure are weak," Jiraiya said.

"You're the legendary Jiraiya of the sannin," The man said, lying in pain on the ground noticing the head band on Jiraiya's forehead. He then took out some money from his jacket. "Take this for repairs."

Jiraiya took the money and handed to the shopkeeper. "I am also going to take all the balloons too, if that's okay with you?"

"I don't mind."

Naruto was still looking at the man and the place where Jiraiya's attack hit him. What was that jutsu? He had never seen any jutsu where someone channelled chakra outside their body and controlled it. It had been a powerful attack. That was not any ordinary jutsu.

"Come on Naruto," Jiraiya said. "We'll rest for the night and start your training tomorrow."

* * *

 **(Next Morning)**

Naruto and Jiraiya stood in the clearing facing each other. Naruto was quite excited to start his training today.

"Here, take this balloon Naruto," Jiraiya said, handing Naruto a single water balloon.

"What is this for?" Naruto asked, looking at the balloon in his hand in confusion.

"You watched that jutsu yesterday that I performed, right? What kind of jutsu did it look like?"

Naruto think for a moment before answering. "It looked like you were rotating your chakra on your palm."

Jiraiya nodded before taking a water balloon in hand. "Yes, you're right. I was rotating chakra." He showed the water balloon.

Naruto noticed that the water inside the balloon was bubbling. Then he activated his Sharingan to look carefully. "You're rotating the water in multiple directions and the balloon is having difficulty maintaining all the water inside it."

The next moment the balloon burst and Jiraiya grinned at Naruto. "You pick up fast gaki." He nodded. "With the tree climbing exercise, you accumulated and maintained a certain amount of chakra in a needed area. With the water walk exercise, you released a certain amount of chakra. This time you're going to create a flow of chakra. These are just basics for this exercise."

Naruto thought for a moment then looked at Jiraiya. "All I have to do is to create a fast rotation inside the water balloon to pop it."

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes, you got that right." He said and turned around. "You continue the training, while I go and get some supplies for us before we move from here. You can also train on the road."

It's was almost evening. Naruto and Jiraiya were walking on the road and Naruto still had the balloon in his hand, trying to pop it.

It was more difficult than it had looked. Rotating the chakra in multiple directions with his hand was not an easy an job.

He tried again, this time channelling even more chakra in the balloon and rotating it multiple directions. As a result, the balloon finally burst open, and Jiraiya looked at him with a big smile.

"Ohh...you finally completed it," he said. Then he handed Naruto more balloons. "Here, do the exercise some more times to get a good hang of it."

Naruto nodded and continued the training. After an hour, they rested. Naruto looked at Jiraiya. "So what do I have to do next?" He asked.

Jiraiya smirked at him and spoke. "You look excited, but the next step won't be easy." He took out a rubber ball. "For the next step, you have to pop the ball. Just like you did with the water balloon." To demonstrate, he popped the ball in his hand.

"It's far tougher than the water balloon. But for now, rest a bit, and we'll continue this training tomorrow. Over using your chakra must be hurting your chakra circulatory system."

Naruto was about to protest, but he could feel his body was hurting a bit. So he just nodded. He then looked at Jiraiya. "You haven't told me anything about the jutsu, you know."

Jiraiya laughed. "I was waiting for you to ask this." He spoke. "It's called rasengan. Your father was the one who created this technique. It took him three whole years to complete it and it's a high A-rank jutsu."

"My father created this jutsu," Naruto said quietly, thinking over what Jiraiya had told him. His father was considered a genius with no equal. It was no wonder he had created a Jutsu such as this.

"Don't think too much," Jiraiya said. "Let your body and mind rest for a bit, we still have a long journey up ahead."

A week later, they started their journey in search of Tsunade. But they hadn't had any luck yet. The last information they got on her was a dead end.

Naruto also hadn't had any luck completing the 2nd step in mastering the rasengan. Jiraiya had spoken truth when he'd said it was a lot harder than popping the water balloon. With no water inside, it was near impossible to imagine the rotation of chakra and even harder to actually rotate the chakra.

Jiraiya was no help either, as he left Naruto alone every day, telling him that if he didn't master it on his own, he'd never grow and would start to depend on others to make it easy for him.

On this day, Naruto was again practicing in the forest. His hand was covered in bandages because of the continuous training. "How many days have I been repeating the same thing over and over, damn it." He spoke out loud in frustration.

"Oi..Naruto." He heard Jiraiya and turned to face him. "Don't overdo it. Rest for now. We'll leave here tomorrow morning".

"Did you find anything on her?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "Of course gaki. I'm the best at information gathering in the world. I got her location this time. She's in a small town in Lightning country. We'll rest for the night and we'll move out early. We don't want to miss her."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Finally the chapter's complete. I know it took a long time-sorry for that. I got myself into some problems.**

 **But anyway, the plan was to introduce Tsunade in this chapter and be done with it so I could start the chunnin exams from the next chapter. But I realized that the chapter was becoming too lengthy.**

 **I thought it would be good to make Naruto and Tsunade meet early in the story, so it can give me more time to develop their characters. Tell me your thoughts on this.**

 **Also if you have any suggestions for the story, don't hesitate to share with me. I am always open for new ideas from everyone one.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please don't go without leaving a REVIEW please.**

 **The next chapter will be uploaded soon. It will not take much time like this one. So we meet again. Enjoy the story and please REVIEW...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Naruto Uzumaki : The Greatest Prodigy**

 **Chapter 10**

* * *

 **Note : Welcome back guys, hope you're all enjoying the story. Thank you for supporting the story so far and also thank you for all your wonderful messages that you send. As I said before, if anyone of you have any suggestions or any new ideas for the story, please share with me. Also if you have anything to ask, you can PM me. I love to interact with you guys.**

 **Before starting, thanks for all the reviews so far.**

* * *

Talking : Normal Human

 _Thinking :_ Normal Human

 **Talking : Bijuu and summons**

 ** _Thinking : Bijuu and summons_**

* * *

 **(Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or any of its Characters other than this fanfiction story)**

* * *

After two days of travel from the last village. Jiraiya and Naruto stood on a mountain overlooking a small town. According to their information, this was where they'd find Tsunade.

Yesterday, Naruto had completed the second step toward mastering the rasengan. But in doing so he had injured his right hand, which was now completely bandaged below the elbow.

After that, Jiraiya had strictly forbidden him to do any more training and told him to take it easy until he recovered from the injury. He was disappointed, but Jiraiya had assured him that he would get it in time.

After all, the technique was not easy to master. It had taken Naruto's father, who was considered a genius among geniuses, a total of three years to complete the jutsu, and Jiraiya had only mastered the same technique after eight months. But Naruto was determined to master it soon. He didn't have that much time to waste on a single technique.

And he was hoping they would find Tsunade soon. After learning that she was the best medic-nin in the world, he was hoping she would heal his arm so he could start his training again.

He looked up at Jiraiya. "Are you sure we'll find her here?"

"Of course, my intel is never wrong. And most importantly, we're in the country that makes the finest sake in the world. So knowing her, I am very positive that we will find her here."

"Well, if you say so." Naruto said.

"Come on, let's go," Jiraiya said cheerfully. "We have to start somewhere."

* * *

 **(The following Day)**

After hours of searching, they still hadn't been able to locate Tsunade and it was already dark. Naruto had known it would be hard to find her. But he never had thought it would be this hard.

It was nearly two weeks since they had left the Leaf village and soon they'd have to return. He couldn't waste his time like this; his team was waiting for him.

Now, standing in front of a local bar, Naruto looked at Jiraiya. "Are we really going in there, sensei?" In their time together, Naruto had finally started addressing Jiraiya as his sensei, since the older ninja had insisted on not being called Sama.

Jiraiya nodded. "You can gather valuable information from these kinds of places. And we also have a very high chance of finding Tsunade in a place like this."

Naruto shook his head and muttered, "I can't even count how many bars I've gone to in a single day."

Jiraiya started walking towards the bar. "Well come on gaki, don't just stand there." With that, Naruto followed him in.

After walking inside, he almost crashed into the back of Jiraiya, who had stopped and was standing there with a blank look on his face as he stared at a woman in the bar. A moment later his sensei yelled and pointed his index finger at the woman. "TSUNADE..."

Naruto looked at her in surprise. Her wide eyes mirrored the shocked expression in his.

Was this woman Tsunade? Wasn't she was supposed to be in her late forties? This woman was definitely not that old—she couldn't be older than her mid or late twenties.

The woman had brown eyes and straight blond hair that was tied up in two loose ponytails. A violet diamond marking was clearly visible on her forehead. She wore a grey kimono style blouse with no sleeves, held closed by a broad, dark bluish grey obi that matched her pants. As Naruto observed her, he suddenly blushed as he noticed her large breasts.

He also noticed a nervous looking woman sitting beside her and a small pig sitting between them. The woman at Tsunade's side had onyx eyes and straight shoulder length jet black hair with bangs covering her ears and framing her face.

Jiraiya regained his composure and walked over to sit down at their table, and Naruto followed suit and sat beside him, still confused. "Long time, no see Tsunade," Jiraiya said with a grin. "It's good to see you after so long; and you too Shizune. You have grown quite beautiful."

By the look on both women's faces, Naruto could see that their pleasure in this unexpected meeting wasn't mutual. "What are you doing here Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked in a voice that clearly showed her annoyance.

"Can't I simply come to meet my old teammate?" Jiraiya said, sounding hurt.

Tsunade didn't look impressed. "Get to the point already."

Jiraiya sighed. "I got a message from sensei for you." She only stared back at him with a blank face. He continued. "Sensei has decided to step down from his position and he wants you to be the next Hokage of the village."

Naruto coughed and the water he was drinking choked him as he snapped his head towards Jiraiya in shock. The same could be said for the two women, who both appeared completely stunned at Jiraiya's declaration.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and spoke in a dangerously low tone. "Jiraiya, how dare-

Before she could continue, Jiraiya started waving his hand in front of him and interrupted her. "Ok...Ok, calm down hime. I was just joking, there is nothing like that. We were just passing by when I saw you."

Tsunade calmed a little but still looked at him with suspicion and anger. Then her eyes finally moved toward Naruto, who was sitting quietly and nervously. He tried not to look at her.

"You...what is your name kid and why do you wear a Leaf headband? Are you trying to play ninja?" Naruto finally looked up at her and saw an expression of sadness pass across her face.

He tried not to show his nervousness. She didn't know that he was her nephew and he wondered how she would react after learning the truth. "My name is...Naruto Uz-."

Jiraiya quickly interrupted. "His name is Naruto and he is a genin. Also my apprentice...we're just on a small training trip."

Naruto looked at his sensei in confusion, wondering why he had stopped him from giving his full name. He decided to stay quiet for now and let Jiraiya handle this on his own.

Tsunade also appeared confused for a moment but let it pass. She looked at Naruto. "Genin, seriously...he looks like a 10 or 11 year-old kid."

Jiraiya smirked. "Well he is. He graduated from the academy at the age of 10. Even our sensei spoke very highly of him."

Tsunade snorted at that. Then Jiraiya spoke again. "But it's good that we came across you two. Shizune, can you please heal Naruto's hand? It got injured while training."

Shizune nodded. "Of course, Jiraiya-sama." She stood and came to sit next to Naruto, who extended his hand foreword. Shizune unwrapped his bandages and started healing his arm.

Her hand was glowing green and the pain in Naruto's arm was quickly subsiding. While healing him, Shizune murmured, "What did you get yourself into? This isn't a normal injury; these are chakra burns. These can be dangerous." But when her hand stopped glowing, she said with a smile on her face, "All done. But don't put too much strain on it, alright?"

Naruto looked at his hand in awe. He waved it carefully before he looked at her and said, "It feels much better now. Thank you miss."

"My name's Shizune, nice to meet you Naruto." Shizune smiled and Naruto nodded in return, grateful for her help.

"It's getting late Naruto, you must be tired by now." Jiraiya suddenly said. "Shizune, can you please take him with you to the hotel? Tsunade and I will stay a little longer to catch up on the old times, you know."

Shizune looked at Tsunade for a moment, who sighed but nodded. Shizune then looked at Jiraiya. "Alright Jiraiya-sama...come on Naruto-kun."

Naruto glanced at Jiraiya, not sure what he was trying to do. They were supposed to find Tsunade, then tell her about him, then head back to the village. What was Jiraiya playing at?

Jiraiya noticed his look and said calmly, "Just go Naruto, we'll talk later. Just rest for now. We had a long day today."

Naruto said nothing, and only nodded before he got up to follow Shizune out of the bar. Jiraiya could handle things on his own.

* * *

Jiraiya and Tsunade sat together and enjoyed some sake as they talked, just like old friends again.

"You haven't changed a bit," he said, looking her up and down, his face red. "Still the most beautiful woman I have seen in my life."

Tsunade peered at him from the corner of her eyes, while sipping her drink. "And I see you still haven't changed either, still the same old pervert."

"Haha..." Jiraiya laughed. "You know me so well Tsunade."

Tsunade shook her head and her expression became serious. "Now tell me the real reason you're here Jiraiya. I know what you said earlier was a lie."

"I guess I can't fool you..." He muttered under his breath with a long sigh. He was wondering what he should tell her or, more importantly, how he should tell her. "I wanted to introduce Naruto. That's why we came all the way here in search of you."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Why go through all this trouble just for that kid to meet me? What are you getting at?"

Jiraiya knew he had to tell her; he couldn't back down now. After all, this was the reason they had come here. He took a long breath. "His name is Naruto Uzumaki..."

"Uzumaki?" Tsunade looked at him in confusion. "Don't talk nonsense Jiraiya, you know that's not possible." As far as she remembered, her cousin Kushina was the last to use that name.

Jiraiya shook his head before answering. "I know how it sounds. But that kid is the child of Minato and Kushina, and your nephew."

Tsunade's eyes went wide. She suddenly grabbed his collar and spoke in a firm tone. "Don't fuck with me Jiraiya. I was told their child died on the same night with them."

Jiraiya freed himself from her grip, not affected by her outburst. He was used to her moods. He spoke softly. "I'm telling the truth, Tsunade. He is really their son."

"B-b-but..." Her voice was trembling. She clearly hadn't expected this. She had been living her life alone, fearing the people she held dear would keep dying one after another.

After losing her little brother and fiancé Dan in the war, Kushina had been the only family she had left. Tsunade had given her blessings to Kushina when she had married Minato. And when Kushina had become pregnant and asked Tsunade to be by her side at the birth, she had been overjoyed.

But halfway into her journey towards the village, Tsunade had received terrible news. She remembered that day as if it were yesterday. An Anbu had come and informed her that the Fourth Hokage and his wife had died in the kyuubi attack with their unborn child.

She had cursed the heavens that day for taking every one she loved away from her. She had cursed the village and the position of Hokage for her loss. She had sworn that she would never again return to the village.

But now here was Jiraiya saying that she had a nephew. She remembered Naruto's face, and she knew he was speaking the truth. How could she have missed it? The boy was the exact replica of Minato and Kushina.

"Why haven't I've been told about this before? Why would that Anbu lie to me?"

"Sensei tried multiple times to locate you. But you're a hard one to find. Also, I was told the same thing but I decided to confirm it with sensei. He told me that their child was still alive."

Tsunade cursed herself. She should have done the same thing, instead of running away. "I'm such a fool," she muttered under her breath.

"His heritage is fully kept secret in the village. Only people close to Minato and Kushina know about him," Jiraiya said.

Tsunade looked at him in confusion. "Why...?"

Jiraiya hesitated for a moment. "He is also the Jinchuriki of the kyuubi. Minato sealed the beast into his own son to save the village. Because of that, people in the village don't trust Naruto."

"WHAATT?" Tsunade was shocked. She knew how difficult life could be to Jinchuriki. She cursed Minato for doing that to his own son.

"He's a nice kid. I just met him recently. Not arrogant and always ready to help others. He reminds me of Minato. He even graduated as the rookie of the year at the age of ten. They've already started calling him a once in a generation prodigy." Jiraiya smiled.

"Looks like the world is going to see another powerhouse blond running around the elemental nations," Tsunade muttered. Naruto had lived his life alone without any family love. She should have been there with him. After all, she was the only family member he had left.

* * *

 **(Next Day)**

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, and thrust his arm forward into the rock in front of him. Since his arm was fully healed thanks to Shizune, he was practicing again, but he was having difficulty maintaining its shape. It was lot harder than he thought it would be and he was already starting to feel burn marks on his palm again.

After waking up that morning, he had waited for Jiraiya for a long time in the hotel room. Finally realizing that his sensei wasn't going to come anytime soon, he'd decided to go and train on his own. But he hoped they could talk soon. He wanted to go back to the village.

Getting out of his thoughts, he tried again and once more he couldn't get the proper result. Despite the pain in his hand, he was determined to fully master the rasengan because it was his father's original jutsu.

Unknown to Naruto, someone else was in the field and had been watching him for a long time. Sitting on the branch of tree, hidden from his eyes, Tsunade was watching him train.

She had been shocked when she saw him practicing the rasengan and had thought of going there to stop him. In her thoughts, the rasengan was a very high level jutsu and someone as young as Naruto should not be doing the technique.

But she decided against it and just observed him. And one thing she could tell was that Jiraiya was right. This kid was different from others and was very talented in the shinobi arts.

She wanted to talk to him. Since she had learned about Naruto being her nephew, he hadn't left her thoughts. But she didn't know what she could say to him.

Her eyes widened when she saw Naruto thrown back from the force of the jutsu. She was by his side in a moment. "You fool, what are you thinking doing something so reckless?"

Looking at his palm, she saw that it was once again covered in burn marks. _His chakra is unbelievable,_ she thought _. I have never seen chakra as dense as this, other than in my grandfather._ "Didn't Shizune tell you to take it easy for the time being?"

She started healing his injury as she scolded him, her palms glowing with green chakra. Naruto looked at her in confusion, then watched her work on his hand. "I'm alright now," he said.

Tsunade stopped her jutsu and considered him, not saying anything for a while. Finally, she stood and held out her hand, helping him to get up. "Can we talk?"

Naruto nodded and they both went to sit in the shade of the tree. But once there, Tsunade's mind went blank and she was at a loss for what to say.

Naruto finally broke the silence. "So...what do you want to talk about?"

After a moment of silence, Tsunade spoke. "That jutsu you were practicing earlier was the Fourth Hokage's jutsu, the rasengan."

Naruto nodded.

"That's quite a high ranking technique you're trying to master. Are you sure you can perfect it?"

"Of course I will master it." Naruto said without any hesitation in his voice. "I just need some time."

Tsunade smiled at his confidence. "Yesterday...Jiraiya told me everything."

Naruto looked at her. "So...you know about me."

Tsunade nodded. "Look Naruto...I can't take back what I've done. But I'm really sorry. I should have been with you. I ...please forgive me. I was too much of a coward."

Naruto was silent for a time before he responded. "I know what it feels like to lose someone close to you. I also lost a person, who was like my big brother. So I guess I understand what you felt that time. And it's not like I was completely alone in my life. There was Hokage-jiji always looking after me, even now. And I have wonderful teammates and sensei, though they can be idiots sometimes."

Tsunade smiled softly. "I see you're very mature for your age. I don't know what you've been through in your life. But I do regret my actions back then."

Naruto shook his head. "You can't regret your past. People should move on with their lives. If they don't, they're not developing."

"It's not that easy Naruto." Tsunade said, amused that such a young boy was giving her life advice.

Naruto nodded. "I know it's not easy. But at least we can try."

Tsunade grinned. "I'm being lectured by a squirt."

Naruto's eyes twitched. "Why does everyone keep mentioning my height? I'm only 10, damn it."

At this, Tsunade laughed and Naruto frowned. But soon after, he spoke seriously. "Can I ask you something?"

Tsunade nodded.

"I always wondered after I got to know about my mother. Why she was called Uzumaki instead of Senju."

"Our grandmother was Mito Uzumaki was from the Uzumaki clan from the Land of Eddies, which specialized in sealing arts," Tsunade answered. "My uncle wanted to learn that art. So he moved to that village, and later he got married to an Uzumaki woman and settled there with her, and they had Kushina. Kushina was brought up in that village among the Uzumakis before the village was destroyed at the start of the 2nd shinobi war. So Kushina always preferred being called Uzumaki out of respect to her mother's clan."

"I never knew Uzumaki was a clan." Naruto said in wonder. "I always thought it was just a name."

"Of course it was a clan. The Uzumaki clan was the cousin clan of the Senju clan and one of the strongest clans in the world. The world knows that the Senju and Uchiha clans formed the Hidden Leaf village. But there was also the Uzumaki clan, which helped stabilize the village. Even today, the shinobi of Konoha wear the symbol of the Uzumaki clan on their backs in honor of friendship and respect."

"Seriously..." Naruto said in surprise. He hadn't known any of this. He had been wearing his clan's symbol on his back throughout his life and didn't even know it.

Just like that they both talked more, and slowly got to know each other better. Naruto told her about his childhood and also about his teammates and about some of the missions he had done in his short ninja career. Tsunade told him about Kushina and Minato, and about herself.

Finally, after such a long time, Tsunade felt happy. She had found her family.

* * *

 **(Time skip)**

Over the next four days, Naruto and Tsunade became quite close. They talked about their lives as he trained, and she had even given him advice on how to improve his chakra control after learning that he was not able to control it properly. In their short time together, he had even become good friends with Shizune.

But today, Naruto and Jiraiya had to go back to the village. They'd been gone too long.

"You sure you don't want to come back to Konoha, Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked.

"I need some time," she responded, then smiled at Naruto. "But I'm sure I'll come to meet you with Shizune from time to time."

Naruto nodded and smiled as Jiraiya said, "Well then...we must leave. It's almost a month since we left the village. I'm sure sensei is worried."

Tsunade bent to Naruto's level. She hugged him and whispered, "I will come real soon to meet you, alright."

Naruto hugged her back. Tsunade then stood and kissed him on his forehead, which made him blush. "Goodbye you two...have a safe journey."

"Goodbye Naruto-kun...see you soon." Shizune waved with a smile while holding her pig, TonTon, in her other arm.

Naruto and Jiraiya said their goodbyes and started making their way back towards Konoha. After a while, Jiraiya noticed Naruto was smiling. "You seem happy brat."

"Well of course I'm happy, I got meet oba-san." He looked down at the green necklace in his hand, which Tsunade had given him. Wrapping his fingers around it, he held it in his pocket and continued his journey towards the village.

* * *

When they'd arrived home and Naruto had reunited with his teammates, he'd had to listen to Yugao's nagging for not telling her and Hana before he'd left the village. But he'd explained to them that he'd went with Jiraiya to find his oba-san Tsunade and they had quickly forgotten their scolding in their interest to know everything.

Jiraiya had soon after left the village to continue his mission and things had quickly settled back into a routine for Naruto and his team.

Because of the training and tips he'd received from Jiraiya and Tsuande, his chakra control improved daily, and he had finally completely mastered the rasengan.

Now, a month after his return to the village, Naruto was standing with his teammates at their usual training ground waiting for their lazy sensei. Shikaku had told them he had something important to discuss with them, and they were impatient to find out what it was.

Finally, in a cloud of smoke, Shikaku arrived holding three papers in his hand.

"What are these, sensei?" Naruto asked as their sensei handed the forms to them.

Shikaku cleared his throat. "I have some news for you chunin exams are going to start and I nominated you all to participate."

"Really...?" Hana said with wide eyes. "But are you sure we're ready for it? I mean, it's not that long since we became genin."

Shikaku shrugged. "In my opinion, you're all ready for it. But I'm not forcing any of you. It's completely up to you if you want to participate or not. Even if you don't participate, you can try again in six months."

"I'm not going to wait that long," Naruto responded quickly. "This is a good opportunity for me to test my abilities and rise up the ranks so I can take more challenging missions."

"Naru is right, this is a good opportunity for us. Count me in," Yugao said.

Hana sighed. "Well I guess I could at least give it a try. I don't want to be left behind by these two."

"Alright...if you've decided, just fill out the form. You have to be at the academy tomorrow morning at 8:00 o'clock for the first round."

"Tomorrow?!" Hana asked.

"You can take today off for rest," Shikaku said, and ignored their stunned glances as he left.

Naruto turned towards them. "Well, see you tomorrow. And don't be late." With that he disappeared with his crow shunshin.

* * *

 **(Next Day)**

The following morning, Naruto arrived at the academy where he saw his teammates waiting for him.

Upon noticing him, Yugao folded her arms. "You're finally here. Weren't you the one saying yesterday that we shouldn't be late?"

"I'm not late. It's just that you're early," Naruto responded innocently. Yugao's eyes twitched at his response.

"Come on, let's move inside," Hana said. "We have to find room 307."

"Alright. Let's go," Naruto said.

When they got inside the academy, they saw teams from different villages talking amongst each other.

"Hey..Yugao, Hana," Hayate called as he came towards them with Izomo and Kotetsu beside him.

"So you guys are also participating in the exams," Kotetsu said. "You sure you can handle them? I heard it's quite difficult and not just anyone can pass."

"You don't have to worry about us; we can take care of ourselves," Hana said with narrowed eyes.

"Hey...we don't have to fight...we're all friends here," Hayate said.

Naruto looked at the girls. "We should get going."

Hayate ignored Naruto. "So how've you been Yugao?"

"I'm fine," Yugao said, lifting an eyebrow. "What about you?"

"Fine..." Hayate said. "I was just wondering if you would like to hang out after the exams are finished."

"I don't see anything wrong with that," she said, glancing at her teammates. "But for now I want to focus on the exams."

Naruto, who was walking ahead of them, heard their conversation and felt inexplicably annoyed when he heard Yugao accepting Hayate's offer. But banishing those feelings, he told himself that it shouldn't matter what Yugao did on her own time. He too had to concentrate on the exams. But still, he wondered if there was something more between her and Hayate. And then he wondered where that thought had come from.

* * *

 **(Exam Hall)**

When they arrived inside the exam hall, they noticed it was full with genin from all over the world. Some were much older than them.

In fact, Naruto was the youngest of them all and soon began to get a lot of attention from all the present genins. Some were looking at him curiously and some were glaring at him.

Paying them no mind, Naruto stood at the corner with his teammates. Finally, a cloud of smoke appeared in the class and some chunin and jounin stepped out of it.

"All right... settle down brats," the jounin in the middle shouted. A long scar ran down his face and his head was covered by a bandana, which he was wearing as a Leaf protector. He was wearing a darker version of the standard uniform of the intelligence division along with a black trench coat and gloves. "My name is Ibiki Morino and I will be the proctor of the first round of the chunin exams."

Naruto listened to him closely. "The first round will be a written test to gauge your intelligence. You will have 1 hour to finish your paper. If any of you are caught cheating 5 times, you will be disqualified along with your entire team." He then provided the question paper and with that, the first round of the chunin exams had started.

For Naruto, the written exam was easy. He had seen when it started that the point of it was to make use of ninja techniques and cheat without getting caught by the examiner.

But Naruto had all kind of knowledge tucked in his brain. The history of ninja wars. alliances, treaties, laws of uniformity among the different lands. Fundamentals, advanced techniques, practical strategies in fighting. Theory on physical ninja arts, kekkei genkai. Introduction to chakra. And many other topics. There was no need for him to cheat.

A balance of brain and brawn was the most important element of Naruto's ideal ninja. When there was first a clear mind, superior physical abilities could be amply shown off. But no matter how skilled in the ninja arts the body was, if a ninja was unable to make appropriate decisions, failure was almost inevitable. And in the world of ninja, failure was directly linked to death.

He put his pencil down. After finishing his own test, he observed the other examinees as one after another they were ordered to leave, suspected of cheating.

Some were slipping into the minds of their targets, others were watching the movement of hands. Still others traced out the answers from the sound of pencils rubbing against paper. They were all cheating with the techniques they were best at.

Everyone there was his rival. Even his teammates would compete against him at some point. If he could study their skills, he would be able to choose the most advantageous circumstances when they fought.

"Time," The examiner for the first test called out. "Put your pencils down. Everyone still here, go to the second exam. The result of the first exam will be announced once the second exam is complete."

"Question." One of the genin raised a hand. The supervisor nodded in permission to speak. "Does that mean that even if we pass the second exam, we won't be able to proceed to the third exam, depending on our score on the first exam?"

"That is what it means, yes." At the examiner's response, the examinees all started to talk at one.

"Quiet!" the examiner shouted. "You are on the road to becoming chunin. And once you are chunin, you will be in the position of leading a team. Not all missions yield immediate results. There will sometimes be cases where you will turn all your mental energies towards the job at hand, while you are waiting on another result. During this exam, you should have expanded every effort. Trust in your abilities, and fight in the second exam with all your might."

Naruto stood and went towards his teammates, the words of the jounin in his ears. "How did you do?"

"The questions were difficult for genin level. But I was still able to answer most of them," Hana responded calmly.

"Come on, let's go," Yugao said. "We still have the second round to complete."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **It's finally finished. It had taken some time to complete and this chapter was quite long compared to the other chapters.**

 **Hope you guys liked the chapter and I am sorry for taking this long to upload this chapter. I usually intend to post 1 chapter a week. But as you know everything doesn't go according to plan.**

 **But anyway, I just hope you're all enjoying the story so far. So please tell me your thoughts on it so far. Also if you have any ideas for the story you can contact me. I am always open for new ideas.**

 **Also I am searching for a beta reader for correcting my grammatical mistakes so anyone interested please contact me**

 **And don't forget to leave your REVIEW at the end of the chapter. Reading your reviews and messages really motivates me to keep writing for you guys so please give your REVIEW.**

 **Until then, goodbye. I will see you in the next update.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Naruto Uzumaki: The Greatest Prodigy**

 **Chapter 11**

* * *

 **NOTE : Hello guys welcome back to the story. I apologise for the late update but I have very good reason for that. Recently I found a Beta reader who agreed to help me out with my grammar mistakes. So because of that I can't upload the chapter. The response this story is getting from you all is magnificent. When I decided to write my own fanfiction story I had never thought I will get this much appreciation and day by day our audience is getting bigger. So it's also my responsibility that deliver best of my abilities to you guys to read. And I hope you guys will continue to show thus much support. Thank you.**

* * *

"Talking" Normal

 _"Thinking"_ Normal

 **"Talking" Bijuu and summons**

 ** _"Thinking"_** **Bijuu and summons**

* * *

 **(Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or any of its Characters other than this story)**

* * *

 **( -Training Ground 44- )**

All the genin teams arrived at training ground 44 where the second part of the chunnin exams were going to be held.

Naruto was standing with his teammates observing everything around him. There were a total of around 25 to 30 teams that were going to be taking part in this round. He was also waiting for further information on what they were going to do in this round. He could see some chuunin and jounin level shinobi standing there. But what got his attention were the Anbu officers that were present.

One thing he realized was that this round was not going to be easy like the last one. He had heard quite a lot about this particular training ground. It was very dangerous and only chuunin and above level shinobi had the permission to enter the field. But he didn't know what made this training ground so dangerous.

A red-framed sun glasses-wearing jounin called out, gathering everybody's attention. When everyone had given him their full attention, he started. "Welcome to training ground 44, also known as the forest of death. My name is Aoba Yamashiro and I will be your proctor for the second round. Before we begin this test, I have something to hand out to you all."

He took out forms from his jacket and continued, "These are just standard consent forms. Before the test, you all have to read over this form and sign it."

One random genin asked in confusion, "But, why do we have to sign it?"

The proctor adjusted his sunglasses before speaking. "There's a very high chance of death involved in this. Some of you may not come back, and by signing it you agree that you will be taking part in this round at your own risk. Neither me nor the leaf village will take responsibility if anything happens to any of you in the forest."

All the genins gulped after hearing him say that, and some of them were hesitating to continue the exams.

"Well if you please hurry so that I can explain what you're going to do in the forest," the proctor spoke once again.

Naruto had no hesitation on his face; he was not going to back down from it. He was fully confident in himself. He also had full confidence in both his teammates that they were capable of handling anything. He looked at them and asked, "Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah..." They both said to him with grins. They took their forms and signed them without reading them.

After all the genins had signed their forms, the proctor started again. "Alright, listen carefully everyone. I'll explain what you'll be doing in this test. This will test everyone's survival skills. Each team will be assigned a different entrance gate to enter the forest. In the centre of the forest there's a locked tower located 10km from each gate."

"It will be a race to reach the tower. But to enter the tower your team needs to have both these Heaven and Earth scrolls." He showed them the scrolls in his hand. "Half of you will receive the Heaven scrolls and the rest will receive the Earth scrolls. So you have to fight to get both the scrolls."

"That means half of us will fail this test," a genin mentioned.

"I said it will be a race. We can't allow a large number of squads to pass this test for the next round. So only a number of teams will be allowed to qualify for the next round. Also the team has to pass the first round; if not, they will be disqualified and the team behind them will take their place for the next round," the jounin mentioned, shocking the genins.

"WHATT..." were the cries of many genins present there. "You can't do that. That's totally unfair."

"Rules are rules. One more thing, the test has a time limit. You will get 5 days to finish this test and if a team loses a member or is injured heavily, then you cannot continue the test. And the most important thing you should know is that you must not open the scroll before reaching the tower. If you open it, then your team will be disqualified immediately from the exams," the jounin proctor informed the genins.

"Alright, please take your form over there." He pointed behind him. "And exchange it for the scroll, and after that each team will be assigned a gate to be let inside."

After finishing the whole process and getting a debrief, all the genin teams were standing at their assigned gates and waiting for the signal to enter the forest.

Naruto was also behind the gates with his teammates. He was deep in his thoughts. This test was very tricky and had a very high chance of failure. Only a number of teams would be allowed to move to the next round.

This exam was very important for him, not only because it was the chuunin selection exams. It was important for him because he wanted to test out his limits and there was no other platform better than this. He wanted to dominate these exams.

"So how are we going to do this?" Yugao spoke, clearly seeing what Naruto was thinking.

A moment later, all the gates opened and they got a green signal to enter the forest. Wasting no time, Naruto and his teammates flew into the forest at high speed.

* * *

They were jumping through the trees when Naruto spoke. "We're not going to waste our time in searching for the teams to fight. We are going straight to the tower."

"But Naruto-kun, we need the 'Earth' scroll. Without that we can't enter in the tower," Hana pointed out, not understanding what Naruto was trying to do with that.

Naruto stopped and Hana and Yugao both came to stop beside him. Naruto took out the scroll from his pouch and dropped his eyes to it.

Those who would become chunnin were all scattered around in this forest known as the 'forest of death'. The scroll in his hand had the character for "Heaven" written on it in bold black calligraphy.

They had to take the Earth scroll from another team. But the big problem was how they should know which team had what scroll. And what if they attacked a team and still couldn't get a scroll they wanted? Then it would be a complete waste of time, which they couldn't afford.

"We can't afford to spend too much time in this forest. So we'll move directly towards the tower and I will hold the scroll in my hand for others to see which scroll our team has. If the other team is carrying the same scroll as us, they will likely avoid fighting us to save their time. By this we can attract the team holding the scroll opposite of ours." Naruto said.

"It's a good plan. But it's very risky at the same time." Yugao said.

"This is the only option we have, if we want to finish in the top four." Naruto stated and looked at Yugao. "Also you're a very good Sensor, so you can sense any approaching team."

Hana and Yugao both agreed with his plan, after realizing it was the best option they had. They started moving towards the tower at normal speed, while Naruto was holding the scroll, clearly showing which type of scroll it was.

After running for hours, team 12 still hadn't encountered any other team yet. But they knew that it was just a matter of time before another team came towards them. Just like their team was in search for the 'Earth' scroll, there were other teams that required the 'Heaven' scroll as well, which Naruto was holding openly.

While in the forest, they learned why this training field was forbidden and known as the forest of death. They not only had to look out for the other teams, but they also had to keep their eyes open around their surroundings.

The whole forest was filled with giant man-eating beasts, poisonous plants and insects, and all kinds of dangerous creatures. And if that wasn't enough, there were numerous traps set up throughout the forest.

One thing clear to Naruto was that they couldn't afford to spend too much time in this forest. Even if the time limit was 5 days, if they spent that much time in here, they were not going to pass. So they had to complete this task as soon as possible. He was aiming to pass this test in a single day.

As they were walking towards the tower, Yugao spoke, getting their attention. "I sense there's a team approaching us."

"How far?" Hana asked, wondering why she hasn't smelled them yet.

"Not too far, they will catch on to us in four or five minutes, judging by their pace," Yugao stated.

Naruto spoke after thinking for a moment. "I have a plan. I will be bait to lure them. You two hide your presence and wait for my signal."

"What's the plan?" Yugao asked, looking at him carefully.

"I already told you go hide and wait for my signal, you will know when the time comes." Naruto responded.

"Come on Yugao, we don't have time to argue. Let's go with whatever his plan is." Hana spoke in between them and got a nod from Yugao a moment later.

They both quickly separated from Naruto, hiding themselves by masking their presence with a genjutsu, as Naruto started to jump through the trees at a slow pace, waiting for the approaching team catch up to him.

He was jumping through the trees, when he quickly had to dodge a kunai which was thrown at him from behind.

He jumped and landed on the ground. Just as he landed, three genin surrounded him in a triangle formation.

"Running alone in a forest like this is suicide kid," a boy said with a grin from behind him.

As the three ninja were spread out in a triangle formation around Naruto, he looked at each one of them and noticed that they wore the protectors of village Takigakure on their foreheads.

"How can they even allow a kid like you to enter the exams?" This time a girl spoke in a mocking way.

Naruto looked at the boy standing in front of him, the most assertive of the group, maybe fifteen or sixteen. He seemed to be the leader.

"If you hand over the scroll like a good boy, we won't kill you. But if you're gonna fight back, then I can't promise anything," the boy in front said, as he was holding the scroll that clearly paired with the one in Naruto's hand, showing 'Earth' written on it.

It just as he had planned. Just as Naruto wanted the 'Earth' scroll, his opponent wanted the 'Heaven' scroll from him. They had fallen right into Naruto's trap.

"So...three against one. Be good and-"

"There's a requirement in the examinee qualification for this test," Naruto cut off the boy in front of him, "That you have to participate in a three-person cell. So why am I here alone like this?"

"Poor kid, your teammates ditched you," the girl said from his left, like she was making fun of him.

Turning his head a bit towards the girl, Naruto noted, "The other two are waiting in the ambush. Can't you anticipate that much, at least?"

The careless smile slipped from her lips and the girl's face grew pale.

"What's the point forcing us to hide, if that idiot was just going tell them?" Yugao muttered to Hana, as they were hiding in the trees waiting for his signal.

"Calm down.. will yaa." Hana responded.

"Relax. I'm alone here, my teammates went in search for a team with a scroll." Naruto said, and turned his eyes back to the leader. "The only conclusion you can come to from this three against one situation is that it's to your advantage. As a leader and as a chuunin, you're a failure."

"Y-you watch your mou-"

"You're even using my childish appearance as fuel for your carelessness," Naruto spoke, interrupting him. Naruot liked to play with his opponents' minds, to make them lose their confidence even before the fight could start.

"C-come on, let's just finish him already," The boy in the rear called out, sounding uneasy by how calm Naruto looked facing them.

The leader swallowed with a gulp the saliva building up in his mouth, sweat running down his forehead.

Naruto could clearly see how uneasy he was making them feel. This had always been his game plan. When a person stops believing in himself, that's the moment they lose their fight.

"Why doesn't it make you uncomfortable that I'm here alone? Don't you think there's some meaning behind that fact that my team is doing this exam separately? Do you want to know the difference between my team and the rest? The difference is that my team is far superior to the other teams." Naruto spoke without showing any doubt on his face. He knew that he was sounding a bit arrogant. But it was necessary to put a doubt in his opponent's mind.

The opposing team was starting to lose themselves in an unfavourable fear.

"G-get him." The leader half-shrieked, half-shouted, and shuriken were launched at Naruto from three different directions.

In the next instant, the leader before Naruto and the boy at his rear both started running. The girl leapt up, aiming at him from the top. He was caught in an attack from both sides and if he fled upwards, the girl would catch him.

At the last moment, before shuriken could dig into him, he jumped in the air avoiding the shuriken.

The Taki genin seeing him jump in the air thought that Naruto had fallen into their trap. The female member of the team grinned, seeing she got a chance to finish him off. She brought her sword down, "Aaaargh," and sliced at Naruto.

Naruto wasn't able to block the sword as the blade went right through him. But in an instant, he completely dissolved in a murder of crows, shocking the three genin.

He appeared again at a different side and a little away from them. Not understanding what had happened, the three ninja stood dumbfounded, looking at Naruto.

"I will say it again." Naruto spoke calmly, not showing any kind of worry as he held out his hand towards the leader. "Be good and hand over the scroll. If you do, I'll let you go."

"D-don't underestimate us." The leader stated, coming out of his shock. Then he started going through the hand signs. The boy and girl to his left and right also wove the same signs. "Got it?"

"Right," his teammates responded.

" **Water style**..." The leader shouted, and that's as far as they got.

Naruto signaled his hidden teammates, as he got his opponents where he wanted them to be.

Before they could even finish their Jutsu, they heard **Fang over Fang.** Then Hana came to them spinning with her ninja dog, knocking them off the ground before the three genin could recover from the sudden surprise attack.

Yugao landed beside Naruto and started waving quick hand signs, and coming to a stop she looked at Naruto from the corner of her eyes. Naruto nodded at her. He knew what he had to do.

With that, Yugao called out **Water style - Water missile Jutsu,** and shot out a large missile made of water from her mouth, towards the target.

While she launched her Justu, Naruto himself wove through the fast hand signs and called out his Jutsu. **Lightning release - Lighting Bolt.** He thrust his palm foreword, as a bolt of lightning current flew from his palm into the water missile.

It was a combination of Lighting and Water that he and Yugao had come up with during their training sessions. As both nature elements complimented each other very well, it made their Jutsu more powerful.

As the electricity flowed through the water missile, it sped towards the fallen genins, who could do nothing other than watch in horror.

The Jutsu hit them, forcing them to cry out in pain because of the lighting current that went through their bodies. The Jutsu died down and the three genin were left heavily breathing on the ground.

The Jutsu was not dangerous or life-threatening. They hadn't put too much chakra into it because their goal was to just injure their opponents, not to kill them. This was a test. There was no need to kill or injure anyone. All they needed was to show their opponents their difference in power and make them lose heart.

There were numerous cuts and bruises on the three Taki genins. But as they were still breathing heavier than normal, they slowly got to their feet. Fear could easily be seen on their faces.

Their legs were trembling, almost giving out from under them from fear, but the three still managed to stay on their feet somehow.

"You're outclassed from the start, you cannot continue to fight us in your state. But if you still want to go, I don't mind." Naruto closed the distance between them. "But if you do, then this time, me and my teammates will not go easy on you."

"B-bastard you had us cornered from the start. Your two teammates were waiting for your signal to attack." The leader spoke, gritting his teeth.

"You made a mistake, jumping right into battle without thinking that it might be a trap and you paid for it," Naruto stated, looking at them with his cold blue eyes. "So what will you choose now? Will you hand over the scroll or do you want to continue fighting?"

The female member of the group moved her pointed jaw up and down several times wanting to say something, but couldn't speak because of the fear. The three of them were completely ruled by fear of death.

"P-please let us go." The leader dropped to his knees and then reached a trembling hand into his bag, and dug around for something. Naruto and his teammates stared at him for a moment, until the boy thrust the Earth scroll at them.

Naruto took the scroll. "As long as you all understand." He sent a little chakra down his legs. Then he quickly went around behind their leader and brought the edge of his flat hand down on his neck. "I can't have you attacking my team from behind. Take a little nap here."

The genin collapsed on the ground as if prostrating himself, while Hana and Yugao both moved swiftly around behind their respected targets to deliver similar blows to each of them and knocking them out as well.

"Yayyy...we finally got the scroll." Yugao cheered happily and high-fived with Hana.

"We still got to reach the tower and hope we don't encounter another team on our way," Naruto called out.

They both nodded at him in agreement and Yugao spoke. "Your mind games can really be scary sometimes."

She and Hana were both aware of his habit of playing with opponents' minds, as this was not first time he had done something like this. During those times, he had a habit of saying something that he shouldn't say and could also sound arrogant, saying how superior he is from them and things like that.

But they understood that he was not arrogant; he only acted like that to demoralize the opponent as part of his strategy.

"It was necessary to get them off guard." Naruto responded calmly.

"Come on...we got the scroll and I don't want to spend any more time in this forest," Hana called out to get their attention.

They nodded, now that they didn't have any reason to stick around there any longer. The two Heaven and Earth scrolls were together. Now they just had to head for the tower in the center of the training ground.

With that, they started their journey towards the tower. They had no plans of stopping until they reached it so they could get there as fast as possible.

* * *

 **( -Following Day- )**

After running non-stop for hours, team 12 arrived at the tower located in the center of the forest.

After taking the scroll from the opposition team, their journey to the tower was quite easy. They hadn't encountered any other teams.

Once they arrived at the tower, they noticed it was empty and that no other teams could be seen. They looked around to find someone to guide them from there, not knowing what they had to do.

They finally just stood in the entrance room looking around. "What else do we have to do now?" Hana asked in confusion.

"What does this mean?" Yugao spoke when she noticed writing on the wall. She walked foreword and read out loud for the other two. "If you do not possess HEAVEN, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess EARTH, run through the fields and seek strength. If you open both 'HEAVEN & EARTH' scrolls, dangerous paths turn into safe ones. This is the secret. It shall lead you on your way."

"It's clearly referring to the scroll," Naruto mentioned, looking at the scrolls in his hand. It's telling us to open both the HEAVEN and EARTH scroll.

Hana and Yugao looked at him. "You sure about it?"

"We just have to find out by opening the scrolls," Naruto stated and Hana took one scroll from his hand.

As they both opened the scrolls at the same time, they looked in confusion at the weird pattern drawn in each scroll. Suddenly Naruto's eyes widened and he spoke. "This is a summoning seal."

He threw the scroll foreword from his hand and Hana followed him doing the same. And suddenly a puff smoke appeared in front of them. When it disappeared, a tiger-masked Anbu appeared from it.

Members of team 12 looked at him in confusion and asked. "Who are you?"

The person in the mask responded. "I am here to welcome you on completing the second round of the chuunin exam. Also I was given the duty to pass the three of you a message."

The masked Anbu then took out a watch from his pocket and looked at, and his eyes widened and a shocked look appeared on his face, but luckily his face was hidden by the mask, so the genin team in from of him could not see his reaction.

"Time elapsed in the second round. Five hours, twenty-five minutes. This is the new record for the exam held in the Forty-four Training Ground. This is most impressive, taking into consideration the fact that your team is one of the youngest in this exam. So congratulations on your achievement," the Anbu said.

A little smirk appeared on Naruto's face and Hana and Yugao both grinned happily and gave high-fives to each other while shouting. "We did it...we're the best!"

Naruto then looked at the Anbu in front of him and asked, "What are we doing from here? Since we passed this exam?"

The Anbu nodded. "Yes, your team completed both the First and Second exam. So your team is allowed to enter the Third round, which you will be notified about later when this round ends. Since your team completed this round in a single day, you will have to wait for the next five days, here in this tower. Also your jounin sensei will be notified about you, so he will be here soon. You can go and rest now. And you aren't allowed to leave this tower...I will take my leave now." Then the Anbu vanished from his spot.

* * *

 **( -Next Morning Hokage office- )**

It was late in the morning and the second round of the chuunin exam was still in progress. A lot of foreign shinobi and people could be seen in the village. The village's Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood near the window in his office.

He was alone in the office at the moment, because of the on-going chuunin exam. He had a lot of work in his hand but was quite concerned about Naruto, the youngest contestant in the exam. His team was not very experienced and Hiruzen was wondering if it was right to allow him to participate in the exam.

He got out of his thoughts when he heard the door opening, and wondered who would come at this time of the day. Then he saw Danzo coming in the office with his usual emotionless face.

"Hiruzen," Danzo addressed him, coming to stop at the front of the desk.

"Danzo...what can I do for you?" Hiruzen asked him and sat on his chair.

Danzo looked at him and spoke. "I got news that Naruto Uzumaki has successfully completed the second exam and had already reached the tower yesterday."

Hiruzen's eyes looked at him straight. "Where did you get that news about Naruto?"

"I got that information from the exam proctor. I'm keeping a close look on Uzumaki's progress in these exams," Danzo stated.

"I would have never thought that you would waste your time on the exam," Hiruzen said, but was relieved to know that Naruto had successfully completed the second stage.

"Apparently this year's exam got quite interesting because of Naruto Uzumaki. He has broken all the previous records this year. He completed the second exam in five hours, twenty five minutes, breaking the last record of Minato Namikaze. Also he scored the second highest score in the written exam of all time, only behind Minato, who holds the highest score of all time," Danzo informed him, sounding more excited than the number of years he had. But he soon composed himself.

"I know he is very strong and talented. But to achieve this feat is quite impressive." Hiruzen spoke with pride in his voice and a little smile on his face hearing about Naruto. His worry washed up after learning this. Naruto is a shinobi of this village and he can take care of himself, Hiruzen thought. He had proved this time and time again.

"It's also very good for the village's reputation, that he is competing in this exam." Danzo spoke as a matter of fact.

"Hmm?" Hiruzen looked at him in confusion.

"You know that the chuunin exam is a place where the officials from all the countries come together in the same room," Danzo spoke and continued. "Which is to say, it's an opportunity to display the future fighting potential of each land. When Naruto fights in the Third round and demonstrates his abilities there, it will enhance the threat our village poses to other countries."

"Naruto is indeed a gifted ninja, but he is still inexperienced. There are a lot of other older and more experienced participants in these exams." Hiruzen knew all about the true motives of the chuunin exams. "Also you know Danzo that there is still stress between the nations. It's not that long that the 3rd shinobi war ended. So this year, there will be no other Kage attending the exam other than some of their officials and maybe Daimyos."

Danzo nodded. "Indeed that's true and that's more reason to show that Konohagakure is still producing prodigies like Naruto Uzumaki. His performance will be really good for the village reputation. There's a lot of talk about him already among the villages, seeing as he is the youngest contestant in this exam."

Hiruzen nodded and was wondering if it was good for Naruto to get too much attention on him. If he continued to gain attention, there would be a possibility that the secret about his heritage would come out and he would have forces after his life because of it.

He got interrupted in his thoughts by Danzo, who asked. "So when is the Third round taking place? I am looking forward to seeing Naruto Uzumaki in action this time."

Hiruzen looked at him and said. "You are showing quite an interest in Naruto." This was also a matter of concern for him that Danzo was showing so much interest in Naruto. He had no idea of Danzo's true intentions. But he was aware that Danzo had ulterior motives. On the other hand, even the astute Hiruzen would not realize just what those motives were.

But he would not let Danzo use Naruto as he wanted, that was for certain.

"Well, as I told you before, we're not having any Kage of other villages, only officials, and the Daimyos will arrive in a couple of days. So we will start the Third round in 3 days time, after the end of the Second exam." Hiruzen informed him and got a nod from him in return.

* * *

 **( -Time Skip- )**

After 5 days when the Second round of the chuunin exams had ended, the teams that had passed both First and Second rounds were standing in a huge arena with a platform on either side and in front of the platform, the Hokage was standing with jounin at his sides.

Not many teams were able to pass the exams. Only 12 teams had reached the tower successfully with both scrolls in their possession. But unfortunately, only 4 teams were given the permission to continue the exams and the rest were sent back because they had not been able to pass the First round.

Naruto was standing in front of the line with his teammates beside him. The arena in which they were standing was filled with a lot of Jounin and Anbu. The Jounin senseis of all the participating teams were standing in front of them with the Hokage in the middle.

There were only two teams from Konoha; one of them was team 12 and the other one was Hayate, Izomo and Kotetsu. Of the other two teams, one was from Kumo and last was from Taki.

While standing there, the one thing Naruto noticed was that he and his teammates were getting a lot of attention from other teams and not only from them, but also from the present Jounin and Chuunin, who were all paying close attention to his team and especially him.

The news that Minato Namikaze's old record of being the fastest to complete this round in the Forest of Death had been broken by team 12 had been spread around very quickly among the others after they had reached the tower. That Naruto was the youngest of the contestants was not helping them, though they could clearly see pride in their sensei's eyes when they looked at him standing there on the Hokage's right.

The Proctor from earlier stepped forward and spoke. "Congratulations on passing the Second round everyone. But before we can move on to the Third round of the chuunin exams, Hokage-sama would like say something to you all. Listen well." After speaking, he stepped back to his place.

Hiruzen stepped forward and cleared his throat before addressing the genin teams present there. "You all have my congratulations on passing the Forest of Death. But before the explanation of the Third round, there's one thing I want to make clear to all of you."

"It's about the true purpose of this exam," he continued. "We do joint exams with other shinobi nations to maintain good relations with the other nations and heighten the level of ninja. Do not let those reasons deceive you. This 'exam', so to speak is the epitome of a war between the shinobi nations."

The genin looked a little uncomfortably at him. If what he was saying was true then what did it mean for them? "What do you mean Hokage-sama." Kotetsu asked, looking at him nervously.

"If we go back through history, all the neighboring countries have fought each other over and over again. To avoid wasting military power, all the nations decided to choose a place to fight. That is the beginning of the Chuunin selection exam. This exam does examine those who are worthy of chuunin rank. But, on the other hand, it's also a place where ninja fight and carry their country's dignity,"

"In this Third exam, feudal lords and famous people from various countries who may be potential clients are involved here as guests. And feudal lords from countries with hidden villages and village high officials will see your battles. If there's a significant difference in power, the strong country will be flooded with jobs and weak countries' jobs will decrease."

"Why do we have to fight with the risk of losing our lives?" A Kumo genin spoke.

Naruto spoke suddenly before the Hokage could speak. "A country's power is the village's power. A village's power is the ninja's power and ninja's true power is only born in life or death battle. This platform is a place to show off the ninja's power of one's country. Right Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen closed his eyes and nodded in agreement. "Yes...this is a life or death battle for your dreams and village's dignity," Hiruzen stated. "I wish you all the very best and hope you all will perform with best of your abilities."

Hiruzen then signaled to the Proctor to inform them about the Third round. The Jounin stepped forward and spoke. "The Third round will take place in two days from now in the main arena of the village. You all will proceed as individuals from here. The Third round will be one-on-one fights. So if anyone of you want to forfeit from the exam, it will not affect your team."

Two hands raised from the same team from Taki. "We got injured in the Forest and will not be able to fight. So we both would like to step down from this exam."

The Procter nodded at them and looked around the genin for anyone else, then spoke. "Alright, the remaining 10 of you will proceed and the Third round will be in 2 days from now. Get as much rest you want in these two days. We will see each other in the stadium. The line-up for your fights will be decided there...that's all."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Well that's the end of the chapter and I hope you had liked the chapter so far and once again I apologise for the late update.**

 **I already have started working on the next chapter. So if you want to suggest anything or have new ideas please share with me.**

 **Also if you have any questions regarding the story feel free to PM me...**

 **One more thing the 4 chapters have reposted with some changes but not much and with good grammar so you can also check that out if you want.**

 **Also please leave a REVIEW at the end... I read every review. It's keep me motivated that so many people are appreciating my work.**

 **So please don't forget to leave a REVIEW. And I will see you soon with new chapter...**

 **See yaaa...and enjoy your life...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Naruto Uzumaki : The Greatest Prodigy**

 **Chapter - 12**

* * *

 **Note – Hey...it's been a long time I guess. Well anyway here's a new chapter and I hope you all like it. Also I apologise for taking this long to update this chapter, some things happened also I had to write this chapter twice because my laptop broke down. I was quite frustrated and couldn't concentrate on writing the chapter again. The chapter was half way completed when I lost it. Hope you guys will understand it. I don't know how this chapter is going to work out but I was have high hopes for this one. So please enjoy it and thanks for all the reviews and messages thanks a lot.**

* * *

Talking - Norman person

 _Thinking -_ Normal person

 **Talking - Bijuu and summons**

 ** _Thinking -_** **Bijuu and summons**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its Characters other than this story**

* * *

The village Hidden in the leaves buzzed with activity. Even though it was early in the morning, a lot of people could be seen walking the streets and chatting with each other. And they weren't only locals. Quite a few from other villages could be seen among them.

Today was the day for the finals of the chuunin exam, where young genins would showcase their talent and skills in hopes for getting promoted to the chuunin rank.

Because of that, a lot of people, such as clients, Daimyos of the various nations, and village officials were in the village to see the performances, either for their future business or, in some cases, future threats.

A single figure looked over the buzzing activities from the top of the Hokage monument. Naruto stood there, fully geared up in a high collar black long-sleeved t-shirt with the Uzumaki symbol on his back, grey pants, and his black shinobi sandals.

It was a very important day, one he knew he'd remember all his life. It was the opportunity for him to rise in the ranks and finally face more challenging situations. He was really starting to get impatient doing all those chores that they called missions.

He knew that for him to get promoted, he would need to show the higher-ups that he had the abilities and mind-set to reach chuunin rank. But he wasn't worried. He had full confidence in his himself that he would be promoted.

But that was not the only goal he had in mind. He wanted to dominate this tournament and win it. He wanted people to remember his name. He wanted to leave a mark at the end of this exam.

But he knew it wouldn't be easy. Because of his age, a lot of people didn't think he should be allowed to continue in the exam. But he knew it wasn't the first time a genin around his age was participating in the chuunin exam.

He didn't pay much attention to those kind of matters, though. He knew his jii-chan would handle those things. The only thing that mattered to him was his village, and he wanted to see his village on top of these exams. That's one of the reasons he wanted himself to be the one dominating.

He had been training alone with his sensei and had done everything he could to be one hundred percent ready for the finals. He hadn't even seen his other two teammates who were busy in their own training with their families. Though he wondered if he should call them his teammates, since they were both going to be his opponents in the finals.

He turned his head to look back and saw his sensei walking towards him. A small smile came to Naruto's face as he turned fully to face him. "Sensei... what are you doing here? I thought you'd be busy with the other clan heads."

Shikaku smiled a little but still maintained the lazy look on his face and shrugged. "There's still some time left for the finals to start. So I decided to check on my students."

"So you already met Hana and Yugao?" Naruto asked. "I haven't made any contact with any of them in the last three days."

"Both troublesome women looked quite eager to fight in the finals." Shikaku added, and Naruto chuckled at his sensei at the mention of the word troublesome. "So are you ready for the finals?"

Naruto nodded. "Hai...hai.. I am ready, I have full confidence in myself. Though the only opponents I'm worried about are Hana and Yugao."

Shikaku nodded in understanding. "That's understandable, they're the only ones who know about you using your sharingan and fooling your opponent with genjutsu. But Naruto, don't get too overconfident and underestimate other genins. Also, I advise you not to rely on your sharingan too much. You have to show off your other skills for the judges to promote you."

"I know that sensei, and I am not overestimating anyone. I've worked on my other skills beside the sharingan," Naruto insisted with a smile. "I'm only using it as a last resort. So don't worry about me getting overconfident."

"Good to hear that." Shikaku muttered, and patted Naruto on the head, which resulted in an annoyed look from him. Naruto hated when people treated him like a kid and he knew Shikaku knew that. Shikaku only laughed at the look on Naruto's face.

"Well, good luck for the finals brat. I should get going now. I have to be with the other clan heads."

Naruto nodded. "Thank you for training me sensei. I will make you proud of me."

"Ahh...troublesome," Shikaku muttered in response. "Don't mention it brat, it's my job. Well anyway, I'll be taking my leave. See you at the stadium."

Shikaku walked off, waving goodbye, and left Naruto alone. Naruto turned around and looked over the village once again. He had first thought of going to meet up with Hana and Yugao but decided against it in the end in favour of being alone.

* * *

 **( -Stadium- )**

Some time later, all the genin contestants had gathered in the middle of the stadium and were talking among themselves and waiting for the finals to start. Naruto knew each one of them had trained hard for this moment and they were all here to represent their respective villages and wanted to make their village stand out from the others.

Naruto stood with his arms folded and an impassive look on his face. Hana and Yugao stood at his side. As he looked around the stadium, he was impressed with the amount of people who were present in the stadium.

A curving wall swept in and around the circular grounds, while the ceiling was rounded and open. The grounds were covered in dirt, and trees grew here and there.

Scaffolding stretched out horizontally, protruding from the top of the walls where a large number of spectators were waiting for the matches to start. There were Daimyos and people from the ruling classes in all lands, officials from the villages in the ninja world, chuunin, jounin. There were no empty seats. Some were making bets on participating genins, and a buzz of excitement hung in the air. Which village would stand with the responsibility for the future of the ninja world on its shoulders?

This place, where capable genin from every village risked their lives in battle, was a microcosm of the battlefield. Not infrequently, the fights here were directly connected with the power structures among the villages.

Which was exactly why Naruto had to show off his true power.

Naruto wanted to demonstrate such overwhelming strength that the adults gathered there wouldn't so much as think of laying a hand on Konoha. He had absolutely no intention of going easy on anyone, even if he had to fight against his own teammates.

He was going to give this everything he had.

"You better be ready Naruto-kun," Yugao said, getting his attention.

Naruto looked at her and raised a single eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Yugao faced him with a serious look. "I have trained hard for this and I don't plan on losing to anyone, especially not you. Your cheap dirty tricks will not work on me. So you better be ready for me."

Naruto smiled at her. He was not surprised by her attitude. He knew how serious and determined she was with her training and that was the thing he liked about her. She wasn't like the other girls he had seen in the academy.

Naruto had always secretly admired her, and he was kind of jealous off her. Her sword abilities were far better than his and he knew he couldn't match her in that department. Also battling against Hana and Yugao would not be easy because they knew his secrets and how to counter them.

"I'm not here just to fight, I'm here to win." Naruto responded with a smirk. "So don't expect me to go easy on anyone."

"I don't expect you to go easy on me." Yugao replied with her own smirk.

"Tchh... hope you two idiots didn't forget about me. I'm also waiting to fight both of you." As Hana spoke, her companion barked in agreement.

"I'll kick your ass anytime Hana," Yugao responded smugly. "And who knows? Maybe I'll end up winning this whole tournament."

Naruto yawned as he listened to Yugao. This got an annoyed expression from her and a tick mark appeared on her forehead. "Keep dreaming you idiot," he said.

"What's taking them so long? Why haven't the matches started yet?" Hana wondered, confusedly looking around.

"The Hokage has yet to arrive. Everyone's waiting for him I guess." Naruto pointed out with a shrug as he looked at the balcony where the Hokage were going to be sitting. He saw some of the clan heads were already sitting there and among them he could see Shikaku, who nodded at him upon noticing his gaze.

"Woww...your observation skills always amaze me Naruto-kun," Yugao stated with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

Naruto sighed a little. He had gotten used to her by now and he knew she would never miss an opportunity to pull his leg. So he just responded with his own sarcasm. "Why thank you Yugao-san, I didn't knew you thought so highly of me."

Hana chuckled at his answer, while Yugao looked annoyed and glared at Naruto while muttering curses under her breath. "Stupid Naru...stupid blonde."

Before they could continue their talk, they were interrupted by the arriving jounin. It was Aoba, the same jounin who was had been the Proctor in the second round. He came to a stop before the group of genin. "Welcome to the finals of the chuunin exam. I think you already know me from before so there is no need for introduction. I'll be the Proctor for the finals. Hokage-sama is going to start the proceedings, so please be quiet."

Just as he finished, all the spectators started cheering and Naruto noticed the Third Hokage standing in the balcony. The Hokage raised a hand up, commanding the crowd to settle down. Immediately the crowd went silent and he cleared his throat a bit before speaking.

"Welcome everyone to the finals of the chuunin exams." Loud cheers went throughout the stadium. "We will now begin the main matches with the twelve genin that have come this far. Please enjoy the matches and I wish all the contestants the very best."

The crowed continued cheering loudly after the Hokage's welcome speech and Naruto could feel the anticipation in the air. Meanwhile, Aoba looked at the contestants in front of him and spoke. "Before we start, you need to check out who you're going up against. You're each going to participate as an individual." He pointed toward the display screen. "The pair-ups will be shown on the screens in a moment for the first round."

All the contestants looked at the screens closely as they turned on, and then looked at their opponents. The first match was going to be between Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha against a genin from Kumo.

Naruto looked at the boy. He was from the Kumogakure village, and looked 4-5 years older than himself. If Naruto remembered correctly, this boy was one of the favourites in this tournament. But to Naruto, the boy looked average. But he also knew he should never underestimate any opponent.

Aoba again called out to get their attention. "Alright...the first match will be Naruto Uzumaki vs. Yashiro of the Hidden Cloud village. The rest of you need to go back to the waiting room."

Both the genin stepped forward and looked at each other, while the rest of the genins nodded and started to move. Hana and Yugao both wished Naruto luck before they left to wait for their turn.

Now only the referee, Naruto, and his opponent Yashiro stood on the battlefield looking at each other. Yashiro was standing lazily and didn't look interested at all. Naruto stared at him in confusion.

Before starting the fight, Aoba spoke again. "There are absolutely no rules for how to fight. The contest continues until one will admit defeat. However, when I judge that continuation is impossible, the match will be stopped there. You both understand?"

* * *

 **( -Stands- )**

The Hokage sat in the stands and waited for the fight to start. He was showing his professional expression but on the inside, he was very excited to see Naruto show off some of his skills.

To his side, his advisers were also sitting with his former teammates and some of the clan heads, such as Hyuga, Inuzuka, Nara, Akimichi, Aburame and Yamanaka. Everyone was here to see the potential of the young shinobi.

"I am very excited to see what your student can do Shikaku. I have heard quite a bit about him," Inoichi Yamanaka said.

Before Shikaku could respond, Danzo spoke. "I'm also looking forward to seeing what he can do. He has been excellent throughout the tournament so far."

"Everyone is looking forward to seeing him in action," Hiruzen said. "Since the news of him and his team breaking the record of Minato Namikaze, they've been the centre of attention, especially Naruto." He looked down on the battlefield to see Aoba explaining the rules to the two genins.

"It'll not be easy from here for him." Hamura stated. "His opponent Yashiro is considered quite strong in his village. Also the boy is much more experienced than Naruto." Some of the others in the room nodded.

"I can assure you all that my student can handle himself very well," Shikaku said confidently. "Some often underestimate him for his age and he just takes advantage of that."

"Well then it'll be good to see what the prodigy of the Hidden leaf can do up against the prodigy of the Hidden cloud." Danzo spoke with a barely visible smirk on his face. This match was what he had come to see. _"Show me what you can do Naruto Uzumaki" he thought._

But he failed to notice the narrowed look from Shikaku Nara, who was keeping a close look on him.

* * *

 **( -Field- )**

Back on the field, the opponents stood facing each other. The whole crowd watched in anticipation for the fight to start.

By this time, Yashiro had yawned a number of times, to the point where Naruto wondered if he might actually fall asleep on the spot, and whether he would be able to fight like that.

"Maybe we should have them push our turn back, so you can get a proper sleep?" Naruto asked his opponent.

Yashiro looked at Naruto, his eyelids hanging halfway over his perfectly round eyes. "No need to worry," he said to Naruto, smiling, but even his smile looked sleepy.

Naruto couldn't do anything other than nod at him. He wondered if his opponent was doing it on purpose. If he wasn't, it was apparent the boy was not taking him seriously.

"First round, third exam, Konohagakure ninja Naruto Uzumaki against Kumogakure ninja Yashiro. Start!" The Proctor shouted.

"Haaaah," Yashiro opened his mouth in a great yawn as the start signal was given. There was a smattering of whispered laughter in the venue.

Naruto frowned. Yashiro was insulting him with his behavior. Getting into position, Naruto leaned forward slightly and braced his feet. He had no weapons in either hand. He relaxed his entire body and set his awareness adrift, not concentrating on any particular spot.

He was ready to react immediately, no matter what his opponent did.

"I'm so sleepy." Yashiro stood up straight, arms dangling loosely at his sides, looking as though he was not in any kind of ready position, and then started to wobble from side to side.

"If you're not going to fight, then maybe you should give up," Naruto said, annoyed.

But before Naruto's response had even been completed, Yashiro's eyes closed and his stiff body pitched forward, like a stick falling to the earth.

And suddenly, before he slammed into the ground, he was gone. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and he took a sharp breath. _Where did he go?_ There had been no hint of movement in his opponent. His action was too sudden. He hadn't seemed to be shifting his weight to either side.

A snore then came from behind.

 _Thunder..._

Naruto immediately tumbled forward in a somersault only a split second before Yashiro's right arm flew past the front of his face with incredible force, white electricity turning into countless bolts of lightning all the way up to the shoulder.

 _So he has lightning affinity. Though it's to be expected since he's from Kumo,_ Naruto thought as he landed, getting some distance from his opponent. He was cursing himself for losing his concentration. He could have been defeated in a single move if he had been hit by that lighting-covered arm.

But when Naruto spun to face Yashiro, he was astounded to see that the Kumo genin remained sleep.

Was it an act? Or was he really sleeping? _There's no way he can fight while sleeping,_ Naruto thought. But he was. The only way to find out was to attack him directly.

Naruto pulled a kunai from his kunai pouch and in the flash of a movement, threw it straight toward the face of the sleeping Yashiro.

His body, rocking from side to side, shook violently, and just barely dodged the kunai.

 _He has to be awake, Naruto thought. But t_ he boy's eyes remained closed, making Naruto's sharingan useless. Even if Yashiro's eyes were open, though, Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to show too much in his first fight. He also didn't want to waste too much of his chakra.

Yashiro stood upright, still sleeping, as though the attack of the previous moment hadn't happened. Just when Naruto noticed him swaying violently once more, Yashiro disappeared from his field of view again.

Faster than the eye could follow, Naruto shot up into the sky, just before Yashiro's lightning covered arm swept through the spot where Naruto had been standing.

Landing near the wall to put some space between them, Naruto caught his enemy in his field of view. His thoughts were racing at a dizzying speed. In the formula for an overwhelming victory, the sharingan was essential. But he needed to keep it aside until that time came. But he was also confident he could unravel the phenomenon of Yashiro's sleeping jutsu without it.

 _Think..._

He stared at Yashiro, wobbling off in the distance.

He had to assume that his enemy was using a type of technique that brought out the full potential of his physical abilities through the selfless state of mind that was sleep. By sleeping, he kept his ego in check, and he could carry out specialized movements through pure instinct and animal intuition alone.

His opponent's somnolence had surprised him, so he had lost sight of the fact that this fight was basically about physical abilities. If he simply concentrated on his physical abilities, he could easily stand in the same arena as this boy. He focused all his attention on the enemy before his eyes.

Wobbly Yashiro twitched. He was coming. Vision, hearing, scent, all his senses went into full gear. He felt Yashiro with everything he had. He caught his aura tracing the walls to his right.

Lightning.

He dodged.

 _So I'm physically superior, after all,_ Naruto realized. Once he knew that, it was possible to deal with this. With flowing movements, he evaded the attacks launched from Yashiro's selfless dream state.

He then had a flash of insight. Why did his enemy specialize in a technique that relies on sleeping?

Naruto imagined what his enemy thought about while he was asleep. If he was sealing away his self to increase his physical abilities, then there was the real possibility that he lost his memory, as well. If that were true, then Yashiro didn't remember the self who fought.

 _If I can wake him up, I can win,_ Naruto thought. _But why did Yashiro need a technique like that?_

He wondered if Yashiro was a coward. If the boy was escaping into sleep because he was afraid of being hurt. If Yashiro was a coward, maybe he was afraid of the endless sleep, the one he never woke up from.

You had to have your eyes open to carefully examine a situation. That moment would clinch his victory, Naruto knew.

The back and forth of Yashiro attacking and Naruto dodging lasted about ten minutes and just when people in the arena were starting to fuss about the lack of any real developments, it happened

Yashiro stopped abruptly, shook faintly, and lifted his closed eyelids the tiniest bit. Their eyes met.

This was the moment Naruto had been waiting for. He poured his chakra into his eyes.

The sharingan was activated but still hidden from the world. It took less than a hundredth of a second to activate and Naruto was betting on that moment. He hammered into Yashiro's pupils the detailed image he had drawn in his mind while dodging attacks.

"Eeee..." Yashiro shrieked. Awake for a mere instant, he fell asleep once more.

 _I did it..._

He slipped around from the rear, and slit Yashiro's throat with his kunai.

It was the image Naruto had imagined so faithfully, down to the very last details. And it became reality in his enemy's mind. He was dead, his throat slashed.

He opened his eyes again. He apparently couldn't sleep as soundly anymore. Yashiro tried to fight, and Naruto dodged the ineffective attacks for a few minutes before his opponent closed his eyes again. He was probably trying to activate his sleeping state again. But Naruto knew that as soon as Yashiro closed his eyes, his field of view would be dyed red.

This time, the image was of Naruto gouging into his stomach.

Each time he was killed, Yashiro's sleep grew lighter. Stabbed, strangled, beaten, poisoned. Naruto killed the boy any and every way possible.

Finally, Yashiro stopped trying to sleep at all. If he closed his eyes, he would die again. Naruto was sure that after being subjected to brutal deaths over and over and over, his opponent was now completely ruled by his fear of the final sleep.

"Eee...Eee...Eee..." Chest heaving, almost hyperventilating, Yashiro trembled and shook.

Naruto continued to evade his attacks, while Yashiro's movements gradually grew sluggish. Sweat streamed down his face. He started to cry. And Naruto hadn't once used a physical attack on him.

"H-help me," Yashiro groaned in supplication. He fell to his knees and began weeping loudly. "I-I don't want to die anymore. Please, help me...Please."

"We have a winner." The examiner stepped in between the two of them. "Naruto Uzumaki of Konohagakure."

The arena fell silent. Everyone seemed to be confused by the situation.

Yashiro wailed and wept until he was carried out in the examiner's arms. "I don't want to die," He cried over and over, the terror in his voice reaching into every nook and cranny of the stadium, sending shivers up spines.

He would probably give up on being a ninja now, Naruto thought. That was the level of fear that had been put into him.

The venue felt the same. Naruto had, all by himself, produced the aura of death that wafted through the entire arena. He wasn't sure how many people there had realized he had been using genjutsu on his opponent. It didn't matter. Naruto had demonstrated incomprehensible power, and the ninja from all lands now knew his unfathomable strength.

 _We mustn't make an enemy of this boy..._

Naruto felt bad for Yashiro. After it was over, he knew he had gone too far. But he had to win without showing much of his other abilities. And that had been the only way he could think of.

Naruto looked at the balcony where the Hokage and some of the Konoha higher officials were sitting. He then turned his back on the arena and walked towards the waiting area where the rest of the contestants were present.

In the silence, he could hear someone clapping. He lifted his head and looked in the direction of the sound.

A face, covered on the right side with bandages. "Danzo Shimura," Naruto murmured, not attaching any of the honorifics he should have to the name.

* * *

 **( -Stands- )**

"I must say, I'm impressed with your student Shikaku," Hiyashi Hyuga, head of the Hyuga clan stated.

"Troublesome..." Shikaku muttered lazily. "That brat went overboard."

Hiruzen nodded, but his face was troubled. "He fought well. But he shouldn't have done what he did to that boy."

"Don't be foolish Hiruzen," Danzo spoke a little loudly. "He performed extraordinary and put a fear in the enemy's mind. Even on the defense, he was far ahead of the enemy. He has my vote for the promotion."

"I agree with Danzo-sama. He used great tactics against his opponent," Inoichi Yamanaka said.

"But how was he was able to cast a genjutsu on his opponent?" Hamura asked. "I didn't even see him use any hand seal for the genjutsu."

They looked at Shikaku for an explanation, who shrugged. "I don't think I should tell my student's tricks to anyone else," he responded.

"We'll have more chances to see him fight again. But for now we should look forward to the next match." Hiruzen spoke, not wanting any of them to find out about Naruto.

* * *

 **(-Waiting area-)**

When Naruto walked in the contestant booth, all the present genin except his teammates were looking at him uncomfortably.

He quietly came to stand beside his teammates, not minding the looks. Hana and Yugao looked at him before shaking their heads.

"Don't you think you went overboard there?" Hana asked with her arms folded.

Naruto leaned towards the railing before responding. "I know. But I couldn't think of any other way to fight him without showing too much."

"You should learn when to hold back Naruto," Yugao said with a shake of her head.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. He knew what he had done was not right. But he had to win and shinobi use whatever method they can to gain upper hand in battle. Also, it wasn't his fault that his opponent was weak minded. He should have come prepared for anything.

Stopping their conversation for a while, they looked towards the battlefield where the next fight was about to start. It was between Izomo of Konohagakure and someone from Takigakure.

As the fight started, both genin attacked each other and the whole crowd cheered loudly. The dark and unsettling atmosphere was gone, and the expectant and cheerful atmosphere was back.

The fight went on for some more minutes before Izomo was too exhausted and was unable to continue. The genin from Takigakure was declared the winner.

"Next fight, Yugao Uzuki vs. Inari of Kumogakure!" The examiner shouted.

Naruto smirked at her when her name was called out. He was looking forward to how she'd fight. She was strong in Naruto's opinion, and he knew it would not be easy to defeat her. Also, her sword skills were far batter than his and maybe better than all the contestants.

"Good luck Yugao," Naruto said with a smile.

She smiled in return. "Don't forget, I want to fight you in the finals. So be prepared."

"First you have to win this fight. So go away purple-chan." Naruto responded with a smirk and made a motion with his hand for her to go away.

Yugao just shook her head with a little smile and turned around to walk off confidentially but not before thanking Hana, who wished her luck.

Naruto and Hana looked closely as they watched Yugao's match about to start. Naruto had full confidence that Yugao would win.

As the examiner signalled start, they watched Yugao standing in battle-ready stance as she waited for her opponent to make the move first. Naruto was confused by this tactic.

Hana must have noticed his look because she then spoke. "Is something wrong?"

Naruto pointed towards Yugao. "I thought she would use her sword to finish this fight early. But she hasn't even taken it out."

"Who knows, maybe she doesn't want to show that in the early stages," Hana responded with a shrug.

They continued to watch her fight as she dodged her opponent's strikes gracefully. Her movement looked so perfect that Naruto thought she looked like she was dancing on the field.

This went on for several more minutes. "She's trying to make her opponent tired by being on defence and allowing him to think that he's the one who's forcing her back." Hana pointed out.

Naruto nodded in agreement and smirked. "She always tries to think one step ahead of her enemy. She's saving her energy for her next match."

Yugao continued to block and dodge her opponent's attacks. By now, her opponent was breathing a little heavier than before, and capitalizing on it. Yugao then suddenly attacked him head on. Her movements were faster than before and her opponent had a hard time blocking her, which resulted in him receiving some hard strikes.

At the end, Yugao was comfortably able to defeat her opponent, who by that time was lying flat, beat down. The examiner announced her the winner while the medic took the injured genin off the field. Then the examiner called out for the next match.

Naruto and Hana both congratulated Yugao happily when she joined them again. "You did well." Naruto complimented her.

The next match was between Hayate and another genin from Kumo. The fight was interesting while it lasted. Hayate was immersive in the fight and far superior in terms of strength and planning, and because of that he was able to defeat his opponent comfortably in the end.

"Next, Hana Inuzuka vs. Kotetsu!" The examiner shouted.

The match between Hana and Kotetsu was evenly balanced. Both matched each other strike for strike, and the fight went on for some time until eventually both contestants were exhausted and injured. But because of Hana's advantage in taijutsu, she was able to finally corner Kotetsu.

The referee saw that Kotetsu was unable to continue and ended the match in Hana's favour. But Naruto could see how badly Hana was injured and wasn't surprised when she then announced she would withdraw from the tournament because of her injuries.

"Chunnin exam finals round 2, Naruto Uzumaki vs. Hiro of Takigakure." The examiner announced. Naruto glanced over at his opponent standing at the side and saw him looking back nervously.

"Well all the best," Yugao said. Naruto nodded in response, but just as he was about to walk off, he heard his opponent shout to the Proctor.

"I want to withdraw!"

"Naruto Uzumaki has won by default and will advance into the final," the Proctor announced and the crowd shouted in disappointment. "Next contestant, Yugao Uzuki vs. Hayate Gekko."

"Well, you got a free pass to the finals huh." Yugao commented and Naruto chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. She shook her head. "I guess I should get going now. I can't wait to kick your ass in the finals."

He snorted at her comment and watched her walk off. "Yugao." He shouted to get her attention. "I really do want to fight you in the finals. So you better not lose now."

"As I promised you Naruto, I will be the one fighting you in the finals." She then looked at Hayate with a hard glare and left.

Naruto also looked at Hayate who was not standing too far from him, and could tell that the other genin was not happy with him for some reason. Naruto nodded at him but Hayate simply left without a response. As far as Naruto could remember, he hadn't done anything to offend him.

He came out of his thoughts as Hana joined him. "Ohh it's those two, this is definitely going be interesting." She had some bandages wrapped on her injuries.

"Did something happen between them?" Naruto asked.

"I think he said something about you to Yugao after the second exam which she didn't like and got in an argument with him." Hana responded with a shrug.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. He couldn't think why Hayate would say anything about him. But he just shrugged it off.

"They're about start." Hana stated.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Just for clarification there won't be any love triangle between the characters also there won't be any bashing by anyone this is not a bashing story.**

 **I am quite behind the schedule, I was hoping that story will got to chapter 14 or 15 by now. So I will try to catch up to the lost time now, since I will be free after this month.**

 **So how's the story soo far hope you're all enjoying the story till now. First I was going to finish the whole tournament in this chapter but the chapter was getting quite length so decided against it.**

 **Also Please share your ideas or any suggestion you have for me to improve my writing skills or about the story in particular. It'll be a great help.**

 **Also please don't forget to leave review at the end it'll be wonderful or any question you have in mind for me. Well then this it for now, I'll be back with the new chapter soon.**

 **Please don't forget to leave a REVIEW...**


	13. Chapter 13

**NARUTO UZUMAKI - THE GREATEST PRODIGY**

 **CHARTER - 13**

* * *

 **Note :-** **So finally here I am with a new chapter. I kind a own a explanation on why it took me so long update since last time, I guess I can only apologise to you all It just that thing happened and I couldn't properly concentrate on the writing and lost my rhythm which took some time adjust it back. Though I must say I'm very overwhelmed with the kind of messages I got.**

 **I never thought when I started the story that it will get so much positive response from you guys. Also I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, so thank you for that snd I promise I will be more consistent from now on. THANK YOU.**

* * *

Talking - Normal person

 _Thinking -_ _Normal person_

 **Talking -** **Bijuu and summons** **  
**  
 ** _Thinking -_** **_Bijuu and summons_**

* * *

 **(Disclaimer :- I don't own Naruto or any of its characters other than this story)**

* * *

Cheers erupted from the stadium as the examiner eyed both contestants and shouted for the fight to start.

"Get ready to lose, Yugao," Hayate said, facing her in his battle stance.

A slight frown was Yugao's only reaction as she faced him, her own stance calm and firm. She still hadn't forgiven him for his comment about her relationship with Naruto or for saying that Naruto had no emotions and cared for no one but himself. Hayate simply didn't know him like she did.

She wasn't stupid and knew Hayate had liked her as more than friend since their Academy days when they had trained together. She also knew it had upset him when Naruto had come along and she had started spending her training time with him.

But that didn't mean something was going on between them. Like Hayate, Naruto was a good friend and nothing more. Besides, Naruto was three years younger than her. If anything, that should make Hayate understand that there was nothing more between them than friendship.

And even if there had been something going on, it didn't give Hayate the right to say the things he had said. Just because he liked her didn't mean she had to like him back. And after what he'd said, she wasn't sure she could even call him a friend anymore.

But if he wanted to give up their friendship, fine. She didn't have time to worry about relationships this early in her life anyway. She was a kunoichi and had to focus on her training and goals if she wanted to make her family proud and become the strongest kunoichi possible.

She had to prove that you don't need a Kekkei Genkai or to be from a wealthy clan to be strong. And this tournament was her chance to showcase her strength against some of the best genin in the world and to see where she stood compared to them in terms of skills.

That's why she had to fight Naruto. He's was a prodigy, there was no denying that, but she also wanted to make herself known to the world. People only saw her and Hana as teammates of the child prodigy and that annoyed her.

She wasn't jealous of him, but she wanted to stand with him as an equal, not as second or third best. He was her rival, the one who could force her to break past her barriers, and she wanted to beat him.

She took a deep breath and leaned forward in battle ready stance, holding her sword vertically in front of her face. She had to be smart. Hayate was strong and she couldn't afford to make any careless mistakes. She had to make the first move and put him on the defensive.

Eyeing Hayate for only a moment, she vanished from her place, reappearing within seconds mere inches away from him, her sword making a sweeping arc toward his head.

Hayate's eyes widened in surprise, but he managed to block her attack without much difficulty, his blade clanging as it met the steel of hers, before using it to push her away.

Yugao immediately back flipped to put some distance between them, but from the air she launched a couple shuriken in his direction, and as the wind whipped through her hair, she formed a hand sign and shouted, **"Ninja art - Shadow shuriken jutsu.** " **  
**  
A barrage of shuriken suddenly rained down on Hayate as he jumped back to avoid them. The weapons thumped into the dirt and Yugao landed and spun to face him, her heart pounding. A second later, she charged forward again, and their blades clashed together with jarring force.

"It seems we're finally going to see who the better kenjutsu user is between us," Hayate taunted as he slashed his blade toward her.

"You can try all you want Hayate, but in the end I'll be the one walking away from this fight as the winner."

"Bold words. I wonder, are they arrogance or confidence?" Hayate said as he parried another strike from her.

"Tchh...believe what you want, it doesn't matter to me."

They both continued to exchange blow after blow and the sound of their swords clanging together could be heard throughout the stadium.

"She has to do something else. They look evenly matched in kenjutsu," Hana commented as she stood with Naruto in the stands.

Naruto shook his head, confused. "True, but you know she can do better than that. I don't know why but she's holding back and not going all out. She hasn't even used any jutsu yet, other than shadow shuriken jutsu."

He had fought her many times during training and knew she wasn't a pushover and could do amazing things with her blade. But ever since the fight had started, despite her initial charge, he could see that Yugao was on the defence.

She was normally someone who would try to use any advantage she could get and finish the fight as fast as possible. What reason could she have to change her style now?

Hana nodded. "I hope she doesn't get overconfident."

"I hope Yugao wins this match. I want to fight her in the finals," he muttered quietly as he watched her block another hard kick from Hayate.

* * *

 **(On The Field)**

Breathing heavy, Hayate blocked another strike from Yugao's blade and twisted his body sideways to drive a chakra-enhanced kick to her stomach. The blow sent her flying back and he didn't stop his attack there. Jumping forward to cover the distance, he swung his sword downward toward her.

Tumbling to the side, Yugao dodged his strike at the last second. Quickly gaining her balance, she raised her own sword but Hayate jumped back to put some space between them.

" **Fire style - Fire ball jutsu!"** he shouted as a medium sized ball of flame erupted from his mouth.

Yugao's eyes widened as the fireball raced toward her. She wouldn't be able to counter it in time.

BOOM.

Smoke covered the field and blanketed the arena in a blinding haze.

Hayate waited. The jutsu he had used wasn't strong enough to seriously harm her but he knew she couldn't outrun it. But when the smoke cleared, he growled in disappointment. There was no sign of Yugao and in her place only a burnt log lay in the dust.

"Shit... She used a **Kawarimi** at the last second," he mumbled as he looked around the field for any sign of her. Suddenly he felt a presence behind him and spun as fast as possible to see Yugao coming at him to strike. He tried to jump back to avoid the attack but the blow sliced a light cut across his chest.

Landing a few feet back, he looked at the wound in surprise. It wasn't deep, but blood trickled down the front of his vest.

"Still think of me as someone weak?" Yugao said with a smirk.

"You've gotten stronger since the last time we fought but I never thought of you as someone weak," Hayate said, holding her gaze. "I'm still standing though and the fight isn't over yet."

"It's just a matter of time," Yugao countered, and before the last word was out of her mouth, she channelled chakra to her feet and sprinted forward, swiping her blade left and right in a blinding barrage of swings as she advanced on him.

Hayate leapt back in retreat. He suddenly couldn't keep up with her speed but knew very well that she couldn't drag this attack out long. If she did, the chakra drain would be the end of her.

He needed to conserve his own energy. No one knew how much time they'd get to rest after the match, and Naruto would come in fresh to the final fight, already putting his opponent at a disadvantage.

Sparks flew from their swords as their steel made contact. Yugao was aiming for his vital spots as much as possible and her flexibility was definitely an advantage. Hayate was nimble too, but it was all he could do to manoeuvre away from her unexpected speed.

Cuts and bruises covered both of their bodies and Hayate was sure Yugao was tiring. On her next swing, he seized the advantage and lunged. Their blades clashed in a grinding of steel, sliding till they locked at the hilts in a stalemate. Inches from each other, he felt her breath on his face as her chest heaved with the effort to gain the dominance.

Tightening his grip, Hayate used his superior strength to shove her back. The force bent Yugao's arm and forced her to drop her sword. Seizing the position, he followed with a hard kick to her abdomen, sending her reeling.

Almost instantly, Yugao bounded to her feet and her lips twisted upwards into a small smile. With a sudden sprint, she formed hand seals and shouted, **"Water Style - Water missile."** **  
**  
Water streamed from her mouth and Hayate barely dodged the attack before Yugao charged at him again, even faster. Pain suddenly exploded across his wrist as her foot connected in a kick to the bone, and his sword flew from his grip.

He tried a roundhouse kick to her side, but she grabbed his foot and delivered a swift knee to his stomach. The blow knocked the wind out him and he gasped for breath as he tried to reach for his sword.

 _How did she get so fast? It doesn't seem possible,_ he thought.

He was having trouble following her movements. He tried to kick her sideways but to his surprise, she blocked with little effort. She then countered with her own roundhouse kick to his stomach and he was launched backwards, slamming hard against the wall.

Sliding down, Hayate clenched his gut and collapsed to his knees. "W-what did you do t-to me?" he asked, spitting blood.

But it wasn't Yugao who had been faster than normal, he realized; he had somehow become slower as the fight had progressed. He'd read her movements but had been unable to counter in time. It was like his body had stopped responding to his mind.

"You finally noticed? As I said before, it was just matter of time." Yugao considered his condition and relaxed her stance. "My sword's coated with poison. All I needed was that single cut and the poison did the rest."

He stared at her in shock.

"Don't worry, it won't kill you. But your body will be useless for the next 2 or 3 hours."

"Damn y-you Yugao..." Hayate grunted in pain, more and more unable to move his body.

"The only chance you had to defeat me was before the poison could spread through your body. But even if by some miracle you had succeeded in defeating me, you would have been useless in a fight against Naruto in the final." Yugao then looked at the examiner to announce the winner.

The examiner jumped between them, seeming impressed, before turning to Yugao and shouting, "Winner Yugao Uzuki!"

A grin appeared on Yugao's face and the stadium burst into loud applause.

* * *

 **(Hokage's Stand)**

As the preparation for the final match was underway, the Hokage discussed the performance of the young contestants with his advisers and clan heads. "The younger generation has shown quite a lot of promise. Already they've shown good knowledge of Ninjutsu and excellent use of tactics."

Danzo nodded with an impassive look on his face. "Indeed that is true. They certainly earned their promotions."

"Shikaku, you deserve a round of applause for training your squad so well," Hiruzen said. "Two of your students are in the finals and even Hana performed very well in her match, despite forfeiting early."

Some of the clan heads laughed at the Hokage's comment, especially Tsume Inuzuka, the clan head of the Inuzuka clan.

"Yeah, you surprised me Shikaku," she said with giggle. "I was quite worried for my Hana's training when I first learned of you being her sensei, what with your lazy attitude."

"I never thought you'd be successful with a genin squad Shikaku," the Yamanaka clan head said in a joking manner.

Shikaku snorted. "I don't know if you're complimenting or insulting me."

"Well, on a serious note Shikaku," Hiruzen interrupted. "I am very impressed with the work you put in to your team. Not only did your squad perform exceptionally well, but it also has the highest rate of successful missions among all the genin teams this year."

"I didn't do much Hokage-sama. The three of them are naturals and most importantly they are hard working and understand each other as teammates. I'm just a proud sensei watching them progressing as ninjas."

"Indeed, they're on the right track."

"But Hiruzen..." Koharu spoke suddenly. "Is it wise to give this much freedom to Naruto?"

"What are you trying to say, Koharu?" Hiruzen asked, a warning tone in his voice. He'd already had these arguments about Naruto's future with his advisors in the past.

"You do understand that we can't risk him. He's already getting too much attention from people. If word gets out about him being a jinchuriki, our village will be at a huge risk."

"I somewhat agree with her," Homaru commented. "There are spies from all over the nations in the crowds. They could get information and be potential threats to our village and it's clear they have eyes on Naruto."

Hiruzen knew all the risks regarding Naruto but he also understood that he couldn't hide the boy forever. Naruto had to fight his fights alone just like everybody else. Hiruzen's voice was calm as he responded. "So... you are suggesting we should lock him up in a cage and only use him as some kind of weapon against enemies."

Koharu shook her head. "No, I don't mean that. I'm just saying we've seen enough of him already to promote him to a rank of chunin. So wouldn't it be wise to pull him out now?"

"I don't like the way you're talking about my student." Shikaku said and glared at Koharu. "Besides, we shouldn't risk upsetting the clients and feudal lords."

Shikaku typically didn't try to get in useless arguments with the elders, as he knew that whatever he or anyone said it would usually fall on deaf ears. And for the most part, there wasn't much he ever got worked up about enough to bother. But he couldn't ignore negative comments about the village, his family, or his students.

"I don't see any problem in letting the tournament continue," Danzo said with his usual emotionless tone. "We've just started recovering from the loss of the Uchiha clan. We can't forget that not too long ago we were at the verge of a war with Kumo. The kid is showing off our village's power to the world. We can use his growing reputation to our advantage."

"But the kid you're talking about is our jinchuriki," Hamura said. "We also can't risk that. He is our village property."

"Minato did not seal a bijuu in his own son for the village to use him as a war machine," Shikaku argued. "He is my student and I will not allow any of you to get in his or any of my students' way."

"Whatever his reasons may have been, the Fourth left us a powerful tool," Danzo continued, as if Shikaku had not spoken. "We should use it to its full potential." His comment earned him both angry looks and nods from the clan heads.

"HE IS NOBODY'S TOOL." Shikaku had reached his boiling point after that comment.

"ENOUGH!" Hiruzen roared with command as he shot a hard glare to Danzo and his other to advisers. "I've had enough of this. Be very careful what you say in front of me Danzo." Looking to the others, he continued. "Besides, this is not a time or a place to have this conversation. We are here to see our genin perform so I don't want to hear anymore arguments on this matter. Am I clear?"

Nobody spoke after that and after a long silence, Shikaku stood and decided to leave.

Inoichi Yamanaka, who was sitting beside him, raised his eyebrows. "Where are you going now, Shikaku?"

Shikaku didn't reply at first and kept walking but after a moment, he spoke. "For a walk."

"He is getting quite attached to the kid." Danzo whispered to Hiruzen after Shikaku had left.

The Hokage only shrugged his shoulders and gave a shake of his head.

* * *

 **(Scene break)**

Yugao sat on a bed in the medical room while a medic-nin hovered over her injuries. She knew she needed to rest, but her mind was racing with strategies and plans for her fight against Naruto.

She had fought against him countless times during training sessions, so she knew his fighting style better than anyone else in the tournament, but _he_ also knew _her_ fighting style better than any of his opponents. Her fists clenched at her sides. She didn't want to lose after coming this far and be known as second best to Naruto.

Yugao glanced at her sword. It had been developed with the help of her sensei, after the famous Sword of Kusanagi that was now in the possession of Orochimaru of the sannin. But after her fight with Hayate, she had lost the element of surprise it might have given her against Naruto. He had seen what she could do with it, and he would be more careful and prepared.

The sound of the door opening pulled her from her thoughts and she was surprised when she saw who had entered. "Sensei... what are you doing here?"

"What... can't I visit my students?" Shikaku asked.

Yugao rolled her eyes. "Of course you can, I just thought it'd be too troublesome for you to visit us."

Shikaku put his hand on the back of his neck in apparent embarrassment. "Well anyway, I only wanted to offer my congratulations on making it this far."

Yugao smirked. "Thanks sensei, but you can congratulate me after I beat Naruto."

"Troublesome... Don't lose your concentration during the fight. You are already at a disadvantage. Naruto will come fully fresh and make sure you don't fall to his mind games."

Yugao glared at him. "Thanks for the boost of confidence Sensei. Whose side are you on anyway?"

"There's no need for snapping at me purple-chan. Both of you are my students and no matter what happens from here, I'm already proud of you." Shikaku smiled and patted her head.

"Have you talked with Naruto and Hana?" she asked.

"Well, not yet, I was going to after I'm done with you. And just so you know, you've already done enough to impress the higher ups. So don't overdo anything and make any silly mistakes. There's no need to turn this match into some kind of personal competition."

Yugao looked down at the floor and muttered softly, "But I don't want to be known as the second best to anyone."

Shikaku sighed and shook his head. He then placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew Yugao and Hana sometimes felt insecure to Naruto and didn't get enough credit for their efforts or actions.

"No one can be best in the world at everything. And when you start considering yourself as best, there will be no room for improvement. Just keep this in mind. There are things that you are good at and there are things that others are good at. That's why we have friends and teammates. We cover each other's weaknesses and move forward in life together."

Yugao nodded. "I promise I'll do my best, sensei."

"Well... remember that no matter what the result may be, you and Naruto will always be winners to me." Shikaku smiled. "Anyway, I should be going now. I'll see you later."

* * *

 **(Scene break)**

"How did you not know that she was going to use something like that in her fight?" Naruto asked with a frown as he sat with Hana.

Hana sighed. "I'm telling you Naruto, I really don't know how she developed that. All I know is that she had been working on some techniques with sensei long before the chunin exam started."

"Then you should have told me something about it."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't go around gossiping about others. Besides, what's wrong if Yugao wanted it to be kept secret?" Hana asked with an irritated expression.

"Because that could have cost me if I'd fought her at an earlier stage," Naruto answered. He'd had some doubts when he saw her fighting completely different from her usual style. But he would've never thought that she'd plan something that fishy. He was glad he hadn't fought her earlier.

"You're one to talk Naruto. You've been hiding something far greater than she has. Don't think I don't know how you defeated your opponent. But I stay out of it. Just remember, there's no difference between you and her."

Naruto only stared at her for a moment, his face expressionless. He had no response to what she had said, so he finally folded his arms and looked away.

Hana looked at him with an amused smile and nudged his shoulder. "Naruto... are you pouting?"

Naruto glared at her. "Stop talking nonsense... you troublesome woman."

Hana slapped the back of his head. "Don't say troublesome, you idiot. You're picking up bad habits from sensei."

Naruto grunted in annoyance and was about to retort when he heard a familiar voice. "Who's picking up what from who?"

Naruto and Hana both turned their heads toward the voice in surprise. "Sensei..."

"Why are you kids so surprised looking at me?" Shikaku asked with his usual lazy expression.

"Shouldn't you be with the rest of the clan heads, sensei?" Hana asked.

Shikaku responded with a shrug. "Thought it would be good to check on you brats."

"Have you visited Yugao?" Hana asked, and Shikaku nodded in reply.

"Then... can I go and visit her sensei?" Hana spoke hopefully.

"Well if you want to, you can go meet her."

Hana grinned and turned to face Naruto. "I'll see you later Naruto. Good luck in your match." With that she ran off toward the medical room.

"So...what happened sensei?" Naruto asked. "You look like something's bothering you."

Shikaku folded his arms. "It's just too troublesome to sit with the council for so long."

Naruto smiled. "Hehe...so the old people are giving you a hard time."

"Troublesome..." Shikaku muttered with a shake of his head. "It's nothing you should worry about."

"If you say so."

Shikaku was quiet for some time before he spoke again. "Just be careful how you use your "surprise" Naruto. People are not stupid, and we don't want anyone getting suspicious of you."

"Don't worry about it sensei. I'm not careless," Naruto assured him. "In fact, I wanted to avoid using it. I want to test myself against others without depending on it. I also don't want to reveal too much in the first round."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't use your tools Naruto. You should use whatever advantage you can in a fight. But also don't depend on it too much. I've seen too many people going mad for power. It's all up to you how you use it."

Naruto made no response.

Shikaku smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Anyway, whatever the result may be, I'm proud of all my students and I couldn't have asked for anything better than this."

* * *

 **(Hour later)**

An hour later, Naruto was standing near the entrance to the field, his arms folded and his back resting against the wall. The break was almost over. Any minute now they would be called for their final match.

He knew he had a very good chance of getting promoted to chunin now, as long as he didn't do anything unnecessary which would leave a bad impression on the crowd.

But still, the biggest challenge for him was Yugao. People may call him overconfident or whatever they wanted but the truth was that no one could give him much of a challenge other than his teammates. It wouldn't be easy to go up against her. Any mistake on his part could cause his defeat.

Naruto was just glad he hadn't ended up against his teammates in early rounds. That would've been very troublesome for him.

He heard footsteps coming towards him and glanced to his side to see Yugao approaching. There was no trace of nervousness on her face. Instead, her eyes were alight with excitement.

"Took you long enough; hope you're not afraid, Yugao."

Yugao smirked. "Trying to make me nervous? It won't work Naruto-kun."

"Good to know. I'd be disappointed if you broke down so easily."

"Well I hope your punches are good as your threats Naruto-kun." Yugao stated without dropping her smirk.

Naruto couldn't stop a smile forming on his face. "Good luck Idiot."

* * *

After being called out by the proctor, Naruto and Yugao faced each other as the crowd roared in excitement.

The examiner looked at both, gave them the signal to get ready and then spoke loudly. "The final match of this year's chunin exam is between Naruto Uzumaki and Yugao Uzuki. Begin!"

Naruto and Yugao immediately took their stances and eyed each other. Each waited for the other to make the first move.

"Not going to make a move Yugao? Finally realizing you won't be able beat me?" Naruto grinned. He knew he could usually get her riled up and he figured he'd try to put it to use on the battlefield.

"It won't work Naruto, you can try all you want. You're just worried I'll bruise that pretty face of yours." Yugao had that constant smirk on her face, but he knew she was scanning for any openings in his defence.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Oh? So... my face is pretty now huh."

"S-shut up idiot." Yugao said with a stutter and a blush adorning her face. "As always, you only hear what you want to hear. Get ready to lose Naruto."

"Hahahaha..." Naruto laughed. "Go ahead and try Purple-chan, you won't get the better of me."

"We'll see about that, shorty." Yugao muttered and suddenly rushed toward Naruto with impressive speed, slashing her blade as she neared.

Naruto blocked her first attack and kicked her back to get some distance between them. "I'm no fool Yugao. Letting you in close wouldn't be good as long as you're using that sword of yours."

"Then try to keep me away." Yugao chuckled and rushed back in. Naruto ducked out of the way, allowing his muscles to relax and his body to warm up.

As he continued to block and dodge more of her attacks, he grunted in annoyance. He had to be careful that she didn't cut anything. Even one scratch would make him lose the fight. "That sword of yours is really annoying."

Yugao grinned and made another strike at him. "I made this especially for you, so I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

Naruto jumped back to gain a distance between them and immediately began tossing out kunai.

Yugao dodged them easily. "Don't tell me this is your best Naruto."

"How many times have I told you to never underestimate an opponent." Naruto waved through a series of hand signs. " **Lightning Style - Four pillar prison."**

Electricity shot out of the four kunai that sailed near her, trapping her in the middle. Yugao yelled in pain as electric currents shot through her body. Within seconds, she fell to the ground, smoke rising from the burn marks on her body.

But a moment later, Naruto's eyes widened when Yugao's body exploded in puff of smoke. "When did she switch herself with a shadow clone?"

Naruto searched the field with his eyes but saw no trace of Yugao. She had to be beneath him. Not a second too soon, he jumped high as a hand broke through the ground with a kunai aimed at his neck.

"Shit..." was all Naruto could think when again he saw the hand explode in smoke. Before he could change his trajectory, Yugao appeared above him and delivered a bone crushing kick to his back that knocked his sword from his hand and sent him rocketing toward the ground.

Yugao landed a little distance from him. "You forgot, always pay close attention to your surroundings."

Naruto grunted in pain and stood back up as he rolled his neck and wiped the blood trailing from his lips. "Don't get ahead of yourself." His sword lay off to the side and tried to reach for it. He knew engaging her in close combat without it would be suicidal.

Yugao noticed and sprinted toward him before he could get to it. " **Moon – Cutter!"** she shouted and slashed her sword diagonally as an invisible force shot toward Naruto.

He jumped aside just in time thanks to his sharingan. "That idiot...named a technique after her own name." His eyes widened at the massive diagonal slash on the wall. "And she almost cut me in half."

"Don't tell me you're scared Naruto-kun." Yugao charged him again, thrusting her sword forward.

A loud clang echoed through the stadium as both ninja passed each other and Naruto blocked her attack with a kunai. They separated for a moment before meeting with another slash.

Yugao stabbed futilely at Naruto, as he sidestepped up the sword, kicked her in the face, and back flipped as she skipped away.

She charged back at him with a cry, repeatedly thrusting her sword and creating multiple destructive waves that sailed towards him.

"This is going nowhere and she is avoiding eye contact." Naruto muttered to himself.

Each strike from Yugao narrowly missed him as it destroyed the ground at his feet. He flipped through hand signs and put his fingers to his mouth. " **Fire Style - Fire ball jutsu."**

But Yugao had read his attack and quickly released a storage scroll attached to her waist. As the scroll flew open she shouted, " **Release**!"

As large wave of water flew from the scroll and collided with the fireball with a deafening "BOOM." The crowd cheered and smoke filed the arena, blocking Naruto's view of the spectators.

Again a loud clang echoed through the stadium. A moment later, when the smoke cleared, both genin could be seen matching blow after blow.

Naruto tightened his grip on the kunai. "I need to make this count, I only have one chance." He blocked another strike as sparks flew from the steel and they both struggled against each other.

Then Naruto closed his eyes in concentration and channelled wind chakra to his kunai. A moment later, Yugao gasped when her sword was sliced in two.

Jumping back in shock, she looked at her broken sword and noticed a faint blue glow emanating from Naruto's kunai. "You used wind chakra in your kunai to make it sharper." She narrowed her eyes. "You never succeeded in doing that before."

"I still can't use it properly," Naruto replied with a faint smirk. "That's why I kept applying small amounts of wind chakra into it from the start of the fight."

Yugao suddenly disappeared, putting Naruto on guard, before she reappeared in front of him with a kick launched toward his head. He immediately thrust his right arm out to block it, and his field of view shook with the impact.

Before he could withdraw, she grabbed his right wrist and delivered a sharp elbow to his forearm, making him grunt in pain and drop his kunai. She then delivered a punch to his stomach and finished with another punch to his face, sending him backwards.

He recovered by back-flipping onto his feet only to see his teammate quickly weaving signs.

" **Water Style - Great cannon ball jutsu!"** Yugao shouted, and launched a giant blast of water, spitting it as strong steam from her mouth.

Naruto stared at the steam of water streaking towards him, a smile pulling up his lips at the corner. "She's pissed."

"No way!" Yugao cried out as the attack ripped Naruto into a myriad of crows that attacked her all at once.

As she struggled to mount a counterattack, the real Naruto ran behind her and raised a kunai to her throat. "Yield."

"You used a substitution at a last moment." Yugao muttered. Naruto narrowed his eyes as she continued with a smirk. "I think I should thank you for showing me this particular jutsu."

Naruto's eyes widened and he tried to jump back in time as Yugao's body started glowing and she whispered. " **Great clone explosion."** Her clone ripped apart and sent Naruto crashing into the wall behind him.

"Damnit, Yugao." Naruto said as he got up and saw Yugao coming out from behind the tree where she had been hiding. She looked exhausted.

Naruto was bleeding from various parts and breathing heavily while most of Yugao's previous injuries had reopened. Meanwhile, the crowd was going crazy and cheering loudly at their performances.

"Come on Naruto, let's settle this now," Yugao stated firmly.

At that, both genin jumped into their stances and rushed toward each other. Meeting fist for fist and kick for kick, they met in a frenzied Taijutsu battle. With chakra extending through their strikes, small shockwaves of force reverberated through their muscles and out into the arena.

At once, they both pulled back chakra infused fists and both connected with each other's cheeks. Both splattered onto the ground.

Each struggling to their feet, Yugao gripped a set of kunai from her holster and launched them at Naruto, who shifted his body and let the kunai fly past.

As soon as they had left her hands though, she had placed ninja wire into her mouth and pulled back on it. The wire surrounded and bound Naruto. In desperation, Naruto launched a single kunai.

She avoided it and let it pass her. Just as the kunai passed though, Naruto disappeared and appeared beside her, and muttered. "I'm sorry."

Yugao's eyes widened. "W-whaa..." she couldn't complete what she was trying to say as Naruto thrust his arm forward and shouted. " **Rasengan!"**

A blue swirling ball of chakra impacted her stomach and sent her thrashing into the ground as she cried out in pain. The crowd went silent.

Yugao laid out on the ground motionless. The only sign that she remained conscious were the tears coming from her eyes.

Naruto fell to his knees from the chakra exhaustion. The examiner jumped near them, looked at their condition, and announced, "Winner of the Konohagakure chunin exam, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto lifted his head weakly and looked around as the spectators erupted in applause. He then glanced at Yugao and a wave of regret and sadness washed over him for using that move on her. He had acted in desperation when he had seen a chance to end the fight.

Ignoring everything around him, Naruto pulled himself towards her and crouched at her side. Noticing the tears, he asked softly, "Yugao, are you alright?"

"Even after all the training, I'm still weak." Yugao responded, looking at the sky.

"You're definitely not weak Yugao," Naruto murmured. "I almost lost to you."

Yugao closed her eyes. "That's not making me feel good, Idiot."

Naruto smiled. "Come on, let's get out of here." He picked her up despite her protests and the pain in his own body, and carried her out in bride-style toward the exit as the crowd cheered in the background.

* * *

 **(Hokage Box)**

"D-damn that kid. He almost gave me a heart-attack." Tsume Inuzuka slumped back in her seat, breaking a stunned silence there.

"For a moment, I thought he pulled up a harishan, until I noticed it was just a simple substitution with a kunai."

"Impressive indeed, both of their performances were impressive." The Hokage spoke proudly with a faint smile as he watched Naruto carry his teammate out of the stadium.

"That last jutsu was the signature move of our late Fourth Hokage, was it not?" Danzo glanced at Hiruzen. "I didn't know that Jiraya had taken on yet another student under his wings."

"Why don't you ask him yourself." Hiruzen pointed toward the back of the room where they saw Jiraiya leaning against the wall.

"Jiraiya-sama... it's not often we see you in the village. How long have you been in here?" Inoichi asked in surprise.

Jiraiya laughed sheepishly. "Hehhe...well I'm busy with my research and all."

"How long have you been training the Jinchuriki, and why haven't you told anyone about it?" Danzo asked.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "I don't need your permission to take on an apprentice."

"It's alright Danzo, Jiraiya had my permission," Hiruzen said and Danzo frowned.

"Well I'll see you later sensei. I want to check on my apprentice. I have a present for him." Jiraiya gave a thumbs-up to his old sensei and left the room.

"All the promoted genin will be given their chunin ranks tomorrow. Let them rest today." Hiruzen said, and followed Jiraiya out.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Finally it's over took some time but at least I finished it... well coming on to this chapter I would like to point out that some of you may wanted to see Hayate fight Naruto in the final. I was considering it at first but that I thought it wouldn't be much of a fight.**

 **Since you know that how Naruto use his sharingan to catch his opponents in a genjutsu and unlike Yugao or Hana, Hayate was not aware of the fact that Naruto has sharingan. That's the main reason I choose Yugao.**

 **Hope you like the chapter, as usual if you have any question or any suggestions that you would like to share with me feel free to PM me, and please leave your review that really motivates a writer.**

 **That's all for now see you till the next chapter and one again thanks for reviews on the previous chapter and messages, you guys are seriously the best audience I could have asked for, so keep supporting.**

 **BYE... :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**NARUTO UZUMAKI – THE GREATEST PRODIGY**

 **CHAPTER - 14**

* * *

 **Author Note** **:- Welcome back readers, hope you are all doing good. Thanks a lot for the response on the last chapter and overall the story. The last chapter got highest views in a single chapter I ever got. I can't believe with the rate this story is growing, it's really overwhelming.**

 **So thanks every single one who joined the story so far and especially those who reviewed the story and for all the motivating PM. I won't take more your time, please enjoy the story.**

* * *

Talking - Normal person

Thinking - Normal person

 **Talking – Bijju, Summons & Jutsu**.

 ** _Thinking – Bijju & Summons._**

* * *

 **(Disclaimer :- I don't own Naruto or any of its characters this fic is only for entertainment)**

* * *

"I'm fine now Naruto-kun. Just because you beat me doesn't mean you have to show me pity. You should worry about yourself. After all, I did quite a number on you."

It was a few hours after the exam and Naruto, in a chair by Yugao's bedside, with his own injuries covered in bandages, sighed. "I'm not showing you pity," he said in his usual calm manner. "I don't have anything to do at the moment and the medical staff won't allow me to leave the hospital yet."

"So, you thought you could spend alone time with me, where no one can disturb us." Yugao teased. She laughed wholeheartedly upon noticing the blush creeping up Naruto's face. "I'm flattered Naruto-kun."

Naruto scoffed, but when he saw Yugao's laugh turn to a grimace as she tried to hide the discomfort from her injuries, his face became downcast. She was in this condition because of him. "Does it still hurt?" he asked softly.

Yugao sighed in annoyance. "Don't look at me like that. I told you Naruto-kun, I'm absolutely fine."

"I'm sorry," Naruto muttered.

"What?" Yugao asked, confused.

"I said, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have used Rasengan on you. I promised Jiraiya-sensei that I would never use it against a comrade but my mind went blank when I saw the chance to end the match and just moved on my instincts."

Yugao shook her head. "It doesn't matter how you defeated me. What matters is that I'm still weak, even after all the training I've been through. I seriously thought I had a good chance to defeat you this time, but it turns out I'm nowhere near you."

"You're definitely not weak Yugao," Naruto insisted. "The result of our match could have gone either way. You seriously kicked my ass this time and besides, I'm still nowhere near you in kenjutsu." He meant what he said. Yugao was definitely not the worst opponent he could have asked for.

Yugao suddenly snapped her head up and glared at him. "Speaking of kenjutsu, you broke my sword, you dunce. Do you even have any idea how much time I spent repairing and caring for it?"

Naruto gulped under her glare, feeling suddenly hot. After really experiencing what she could do in a fight, he didn't want to get her mad. "Don't worry Yugao I'll get you a new one, alright."

Yugao shrugged and sighed as she leaned back and closed her eyes. "I'm so tired."

Naruto released the breath he'd been holding and for the first time, really looked at her. She did look exhausted. But covered in bruises and mud, her purple hair falling tangled around her face, she was still the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.

The thought surprised him, and he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. Of course, he'd _never_ tell her that. She'd never let him live it down.

Thankfully, though, Yugao still lay with her eyes closed, and his momentary embarrassment had gone unnoticed. Looking at her, he saw that the bruises on her face were already turning a livid blue against her pale skin, and he felt terrible all over again.

But as he was about to ask if there was anything he could get her, he noticed that her breathing had evened out, and realized she had fallen asleep.

A lock of her hair had fallen across her eyes, and without thinking, Naruto reached out to gently push it away from her face.

But just as his fingers touched her forehead, she jolted awake. Naruto snatched his hand back, blushing furiously.

"W-what were you d-doing?" She looked flustered and Naruto noticed the flush on her cheeks too. "Was I asleep?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, and you had something on your face," he stammered.

Yugao blinked and reached up to her face self-consciously. "I did?"

"It's gone now, don't worry about it," Naruto said, trying to hide his embarrassment with an annoyed tone of voice.

But she must have noticed how uncomfortable he looked, because her face spread into a gentle smile as she blushed even deeper. "Thanks Naruto-kun."

"Yeah, sure," he said, surprised to find his heart beating faster than normal. "Anyway, I should probably let you get some sleep."

Just then, there was a sound at the doorway, and both of their heads snapped toward it. With surprise, Naruto saw Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya standing in the doorway with Hana.

"Did we disturb you two? We can return later if you want," Hana spoke with amusement in her voice. How long had they been standing there? Naruto wondered. Had they seen what he'd done?

But Naruto ignored his teammate's comment as if nothing were wrong, and tried to forget the unfamiliar feelings he'd had only moments before. With confusion, he said, "Obaa-san, Shizune, what are you doing here?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. She looked suspicious but he couldn't think of anything he'd done that would have made her look like that.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, was wearing the biggest grin Naruto had ever seen and was shooting him a thumbs up. He also looked about ready to cry with pride. Naruto could only hope it was because of the tournament results and not because of what he might have seen between Yugao and him.

"What were you two doing? You both look like we walked in on something," Hana said with a playful look.

"Shut up," Yugao hissed with a light blush still adorning her face. "He was just helping me."

"Helping her with what Naruto-kun?" Hana asked innocently in a sweet voice which earned her a menacing glare from her two embarrassed teammates.

"She had something in her eye. I was helping her get it out," Naruto said, wondering why he was even bothering explaining.

"Well if you say so Naruto-kun," Hana said, while trying to hold her laugh.

Tsunade rubbed her temples and let out a huge sigh before turning her attention towards Yugao, who shifted nervously.

Tsunade smiled. "You must be Yugao Uzuki. I've heard quite a bit about you from Naruto on our last meeting."

Yugao just nodded. "It's an honour to meet you Tsunade-sama. You're an inspiration for not just me but all the kunoichi in the world." Naruto could hear the nervous quiver in Yugao's voice as she spoke. Tsunade only smiled at her warmly.

"Soo... not that I'm complaining or anything, but what are you doing here Obaa-san?" Naruto interrupted. "You could have informed me earlier."

Tsunade returned her gaze at him and smiled widely. "Well," she said cheerfully. "When I heard you were participating in the Chunin Exam I couldn't let the opportunity pass of seeing you in action and earning some easy money."

Naruto just barely stifled his groan as Jiraiya laughed. _"I'm feeling used,"_ Naruto thought.

"Some things never change," Jiraiya interjected. "But I'm feeling left out here. You haven't even given me a glance brat. And here I thought I'd found my perfect apprentice."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'm not ignoring you Jiraiya-sensei. I was just surprised at seeing Oba-san and Shizune again. The old man already informed me you'd be attending the Chunin Exams."

"Damn, I told him to keep it a secret," Jiraiya grunted. "Well anyways, congratulations on the win brat, I'll see you later. I have to discuss some stuff with sensei." He then gave Naruto a hearty pat on the back that nearly sent him sprawling, and left the room.

Returning his attention to the others, Naruto suddenly realized his own sensei's absence. "Hey...where is Shikaku-sensei?"

"He had some business with the other clan heads. He told me he would visit you guys later," Hana informed him.

Tsunade then turned her attention towards the two female genin and spoke. "So Yugao and Hana, tell me about yourself."

* * *

 **(Hokage Office)**

"So how long will you be staying in the village this time Jiraiya?" The Hokage asked, standing near the window and looking out on the bustling streets of Konohagakure.

Jiraiya was leaning his back against the wall and shrugged his shoulders. "Not long. I wish I could stay but you know my work… I can't afford to be in one place for too long."

Hiruzen nodded slowly. Was he putting too much work on Jiraiya's shoulders? He felt ashamed of himself for all the times he'd called on Jiraiya to do the near-impossible. Had he failed as a teacher, father, and village leader?

Thinking back, he wondered if he could have done things differently. Maybe then the student he'd considered a genius wouldn't have betrayed the village and the Fourth Hokage wouldn't have needed to sacrifice himself at such a young age.

"Don't think too much of the past sensei," Jiraiya said quietly.

Hiruzen considered his student. "I didn't know you could read me so well Jiraiya."

Jiraiya frowned. "I don't need to be an expert to know what you're thinking. Your silence says it all."

But Jiraiya's insight was understandable. He knew the feeling of regrets too. He knew what it felt like to want so badly to change things that can't be changed.

Hiruzen didn't say anything in response and just shook his head, shaking the thoughts out of his mind. There was no point in dwelling in the past. "Perhaps I can give this hat to you and finally retire in peace. As you know, I'm not getting any younger as time passes."

"Not interested. Try someone else, old man," Jiraiya grunted in response.

"Well, I tried," Hiruzen muttered with a deadpan look before he spoke. "By the way, where is Tsunade and why didn't you inform me earlier that she'd be coming back?"

"Don't get your hopes up, sensei, she's not going to stay. She just wanted to meet Naruto and surprise him. She asked me to stay quiet about it."

"Well at least she could have given me a visit first," Hiruzen said with a heavy sigh. But he wasn't surprised in the slightest. They weren't exactly on good terms at the moment.

"So what do you want to discuss with me?" He then asked, changing the subject. "It had to be important for you to personally make this visit to me."

"Remember when I told you of a group that calls themselves the Akatsuki? The same group our old friend has joined?" Jiraiya asked, his face getting serious.

"Orochimaru… You got something on him?" Anything regarding his psychotic student could not be ignored.

Jiraiya let out another sigh. "Apparently he deserted the group a while back for some unknown reason. But what I do know is that he had done something to piss off the leader. I'm still trying to discover what that was."

"Anything else on him?"

"Not yet. The bastard went into hiding and I need some time to locate him again." Jiraiya knew they would need to deal with his ex-teammate as soon as possible before he became a major problem for the village.

Hiruzen nodded at him grimly. It's all because of his weakness that Orochimaru left the village. It was only his weakness that had kept him from ending Orochimaru sooner. "Keep your sources on lookout Jiraiya. We can't afford to let him do as he pleases and cause any more problems."

Jiraiya frowned but nodded nonetheless. "I wish things had never come to this. I still remember trying to talk sense with him on the day he went rogue. Funny how time changes."

"What about the Akatsuki, did you get any more information on them?" Hiruzen asked. He knew the group posed a threat to the great nations but his biggest concern was that no one yet knew their motivations or goals. But he couldn't afford to contact Itachi for any information in fear of his cover being blown. The only information they had was that the group consisted of High S-Rank missing ninja from multiple hidden villages, and that they were working as a mercenary group.

"Their main objective is still unknown. But recently they've been taking some missions from smaller villages and even that old goat Onoki is using them to get his high-rank missions done for Iwagakure," Jiraiya stated.

"This is troubling Jiraiya. They can pose serious trouble in the coming future."

Jiraiya nodded. "Don't worry. I'll try to get as much information as possible on them. But at the moment my main focus will be on locating Orochimaru again."

Hiruzen looked at Jiraiya for a moment. "For the time you'll remain in the village, you'll be spending your time training Naruto, I take it."

"Well of course," Jiraiya stated with a wide grin.

Hiruzen shook his head with a small smile on his face. "That kid is really something else. But sometimes I really worry about him."

Throwing himself in training and doing missions while closing his heart to others would never do him good. He wished Naruto would talk a little more about his feelings with others.

"Well, at least there's a lot of improvement in his behaviour since the last time I met him," Jiraiya said.

Hiruzen nodded. "That was right after the events with Itachi and Shisui where he completely distanced himself from others. He still doesn't trust everyone but at least he is open with his teammates. I've seen some changes in him since he met you and Tsunade as well." Hiruzen said with a small smile. "What worries me the most is that Danzo is showing a lot more interest in him day by day." He sighed.

"Danzo may show interest in him but Naruto is a mature kid, sensei. He knows what's good and bad for him, and Danzo knows that."

Hiruzen let out a long sigh. "That may be true. But we can't underestimate Danzo. I'll have to figure something out to deal with him."

"Well don't worry about it too much sensei, I'll warn Naruto," Jiraiya said and walked up to the window. "One more thing I wanted to ask though. Is there something going on between Naruto and that purple haired girl in his squad?" He asked with a mischievous look on his face.

Hiruzen laughed in amusement. "Well not that I'm aware of." Jiraiya looked disappointed.

"Well anyways, I'll see you later sensei." With that, he jumped down from the window without waiting for any response from the Hokage.

Hiruzen stared at Jiraiya's departing figure and muttered. "I hope I don't get any complaints from the bathhouse..."

* * *

 **(Time Skip - one year)**

Naruto coolly observed the bustling life within the village around him as he walked on the busy streets of Konoha. Yugao walked alongside him laughing and chatting.

He is now 11 years old, a few months away from 12. It's been almost over year since he became a chunin with his two teammates.

He has been doing missions with his teammates as well as partnering with other ninjas after his promotion, which earned him the respect of his fellow ninjas, because of his performance on each mission.

Everything has been going great so far. He is learning new skills in his free time while enjoying his life as a ninja.

Jiraiya left a month after the chunin exams but in that time he taught him some useful skills. After some time, his obaa-san also left the village, saying that she couldn't stay and mentioning something about people coming after her for overdue debts.

Concerned about Naruto never taking days off, his sensei ordered him to take a long break for a week. The Hokage had backed the order and told him to take a rest from the constant training.

Given that Naruto had no idea what to do with his time other than missions and training, he couldn't stop feeling like he had suddenly been set adrift in a calm sea.

He tried to sleep all day but his body, used to missions, woke him up before the crows started cawing in the morning.

Having no other choice, he was forced to kill time playing with the five-year-old grandson of the Hokage, Konohamaru.

Naruto loved spending time with him and had really gotten close to the kid, to the point where Konohamaru followed Naruto everywhere, calling him his big brother. He was beyond delighted to have Naruto there spending time with him, given that Naruto was normally always away on missions.

His time with Konohamaru also brought up his own memories of his time with Itachi and Shisui. But one thing Naruto knew was that he was not going to leave Konohamaru the way they had left him.

He was spending his vacation off watching over Konohamaru when Yugao came and dragged him out for a walk.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" An annoyed Yugao broke him out of his thoughts.

Naruto blinked before turning toward her and meeting her eyes. "You should watch where you're going you know," Naruto remarked.

"Uh-huh." Her voice had a little bounce in it. "You wanna take a break over there?" She pointed towards his favourite ramen restaurant, Ichiraku Ramen, ahead of them. Naruto being Naruto could not resist the temptation of ramen—he considered it the food of the gods after all—and they both headed over to the stand. "Two miso ramen please!" Yugao called out and sat down on a stool in front of the shop. Naruto sat beside her quietly.

"Coming." Naruto heard a familiar voice from inside the shop. "Oh, if it ain't little Naruto-kun."

"Ayame." Naruto smiled and waved at the girl in front. "Good to see you again."

"I thought you forgot about us Naruto-kun. You hardly come here for ramen anymore."

Naruto smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I've been busy with missions and all lately."

Yugao smiled as she watched Naruto interacting with the shop girl.

"So? Is this your girlfriend?" Ayame asked with eyes glittering as her father set two bowls of ramen in front of the couple.

"Friend," Naruto grunted in response.

"Oh, I bet she's all disappointed now." Ayame teased and Yugao looked about ready to protest in surprise when Ayame laughed and turned her eyes back to Naruto. "So how's the life of a chunin treating you?"

"Well, can't complain since the missions are more challenging."

Yugao sat quietly fuming, her face turned to her food as she slowly ate her ramen.

Ayame nodded. "Well, enjoy your ramen you two. Can't be lazing around, I have some work to finish."

Watching the girl leave, Yugao shifted her gaze to Naruto. "So are you going to tell me what's on your mind Naruto-kun? You've were mostly quiet on our walk over here."

Naruto played with the ramen in the bowl, hesitating if he should tell her or not, but knowing she wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't tell her. He was also worried about her reaction if he told her.

Naruto sighed. "Jiji told me that they are considering me for Anbu and I was just thinking about that."

"You really are amazing, huh, Naruto-kun." Yugao murmured, with her face looking down blankly after hearing the news. "I wish I was like you... A true PRODIGY as they call you." She said it with a mocking smile while she raised her hands in exaggeration. "You should be dancing in joy."

Naruto knew it was her childhood dream to become an Anbu Officer and sighed at her response. "Why the hell do you sound so disappointed about it?"

"Why wouldn't I be disappointed that I don't have talent like you? That I'll always be behind you. You never mentioned before that you wanted to join Anbu. It's been my dream forever and you just up and take it from me!" She snapped at him.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "Talent talent talent... I hate that word. I work hard like everyone else. I wasn't born strong and if you're so upset about me joining the Anbu, you should train to become strong instead of crying over it. Being a Ninja doesn't mean competing with others. You'll have to deal with so many awful, terrible things all the time. You'll never achieve your dream with that kind of mind-set."

"Y-you... I don't want you telling me how a ninja should be." Yugao replied, almost like a declaration. Naruto caught a glimpse of rage in her eyes. He knew then that had crossed the limit.

She stood up. "Enjoy your meal Uzumaki-san." Naruto saw that a single tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.

"Please sit down Yugao."

But she ignored him, turned around, and didn't look back again.

Naruto sighed. "Damn it."

"What's this? Made your girlfriend cry Naruto-kun..." Ayame teased, having come around the counter at some point.

"If you can hide your aura that well, maybe you should become a ninja Ayame."

"No thanks, I'm good as I am." She chuckled in response.

* * *

 **(Hokage Tower)**

"I hope you know why I called you here Danzo..." The Hokage said, sitting in his chair and puffing on his pipe.

Danzo stood with the full attention of his old teammate, watching him. The last meetings between the two had ended up with the discussion of Naruto's performance on his various missions, and he suspected the boy was the subject of this meeting too. But surely Hiruzen hadn't called him just to talk about Naruto.

Exhaling smoke, Hiruzen turned his eyes on Danzo, who stared at him with a blank face. "Just as you said before, it's been over a year since Naruto was promoted to chunin. Since then, he has carried out his missions almost too perfectly and having such an impeccable Ninja Portfolio, it's hard to believe he's only eleven."

Danzo blinked. He could not imagine that Hiruzen would willingly talk about Naruto with him. "I see, so finally you're seeing things from my point of view."

"We may have our differences Danzo... but in this case, I guess we see eye to eye." Hiruzen had always thought he could work things out with Danzo. He could never deny the loyalty Danzo had shown towards the village throughout the years.

"Get to the point Hiruzen. What about Uzumaki, and why did you summon me?"

Hiruzen snorted a little at Danzo's attitude. "Our Anbu Commander has made an interesting proposal. He wants Naruto to join the Anbu."

As he spoke, he tried to read Danzo's expressions, but for his ire and disappointment, he did not get anything other than a blank stare. He had known Danzo too long to be fooled, though, and was sure that he was excited beneath that emotionless gaze.

"I see." Danzo said.

"According to him, Naruto won't be able to use his abilities to his fullest capabilities in the regular Konoha forces and Jonin Units. He thinks Naruto possesses unparalleled talents as a ninja and he mentions that it's our duty to guide him to a place where he can fully use that talent. So he came to me about the possibility of the boy joining the Anbu."

Hiruzen never broke his eye contact, even for a second. He kept staring in the blank darkness of Danzo's eyes to get anything out of him. "Homura and Koharu are totally opposed. They say it's dangerous to have a Jinchuriki in the Anbu." Hiruzen took a second puff of his pipe.

"Maybe you could stop smoking while we are discussing important business at least Hiruzen." Danzo frowned as Hiruzen packed tobacco into his pipe for the third time.

Hiruzen shrugged his shoulders slightly in dissatisfaction, before setting the pipe down on the desk. "They even went as far as to bring up your name, stating that you'd never support the idea of Naruto joining the Anbu."

Hiruzen knew that Danzo had never thought much of Koharu and Homura and was sure this would get a response out of the man. He had mentioned before his opinion that they had managed to live through many of their tribulations through luck alone.

But he only remained silent. "I see, so you're also in oppo-... Hiruzen began.

"Can't you just let him in, then?" Danzo interrupted.

Hiruzen's eyes widened in suspicion. Naturally, he also thought Danzo would be opposed, but Danzo was not opposed in the slightest; quite the contrary in fact. The Anbu Commander's proposal was a godsend for Danzo. Right from the start, he had planned for Naruto to join the Anbu since his Root Program had been "officially" banned and it would be suspicious if… Naruto was to suddenly disappear for a period of time for his training.

Naruto Uzumaki was an essential figure for the future of the village. So much that Danzo hoped he could become Hokage in the future. Just like his father Minato Namikaze, Naruto wouldn't hesitate to take the hard decisions. He was a perfect candidate for the future Hokage.

"I know you have quite an impression of him, but I thought you would've disapproved of putting him in the Anbu." Hiruzen didn't even try to hide a dangerous look in his eyes, his suspicion obvious.

Danzo remained calm under the Hokage's gaze. "Naruto is the sort of Ninja you see maybe once every one hundred years. We cannot afford to not take advantage of everything he has to offer to the village."

"That answer is... very you." The Third Hokage nodded deeply as if trying to convince himself of something. "I'm not a hundred percent sure of letting him join the Anbu this early, but since Naruto has showed his interest, I've decided to assign him to Team RO under Hatake, Kakashi. Kakashi will take care of him and teach him the inner workings of the Anbu."

Danzo was just grateful that the Hokage had approved of Naruto's early entry into the Anbu, whatever his reasons may be.

"Of course, Naruto is still so young. I'm not sure he should join just yet. Before the official assignment, therefore, we need to see if he's really ready for the Anbu."

"A mission to join the Anbu, huh?" Danzo stated, giving Hiruzen a knowing look.

"Precisely."

"Would you leave that to me?" Danzo asked. He had the perfect mission for Naruto.

* * *

 **(Somewhere in the village)**

"So I assume you also agreed to join the Anbu?"

"Affirmative," Naruto responded expressionlessly to Danzo's question. They were in the headquarters of the covert organization Danzo ran separate from the Hokage's Anbu.

The Foundation.

The organization Danzo ruled over was at least in name, affiliated with the Anbu, but it had a different command structure. The Foundation was an elite unit that recruited the finest within the village when they were still children and trained them to work in the shadows.

Even though the Hokage had officially disbanded the organization after the Uchiha Clan Massacre, Danzo had reinstated it. It now worked to maintain the peace within the darkness of the village.

Naruto himself had only learned all this after Danzo summoned him here. The majority of people in the village weren't even aware of the existence of the Foundation. For the citizens of Konoha, Danzo was just an administrative official who managed the surface of the Anbu.

Danzo's eyes narrowed to thin lines on his face, and they focused on Naruto. His gaze seemed to catch every breath, every tremor of every hair. It was so sharp that it reminded Naruto why he was so afraid of the man in front of him.

Naruto almost felt like he was on the battlefield with an enemy, but he was not going to back down and give Danzo the satisfaction of seeing him afraid.

"There's resistance from above at having a Jinchuriki in the Anbu."

" _Their opinion don't matter to me."_ Naruto wanted to say but he stayed silent.

The Anbu were an elite squad that only accepted select Ninja from the village. If he distinguished himself there, he would be a lot closer to his dream of becoming the Hokage.

He also needed to get close to Danzo as much as he could, to know what exactly had happened on the night of the Uchiha Massacre. He could not trust Itachi blindly; no matter what Itachi had said, Naruto knew that he couldn't wipe out an elite clan single-handedly in one night.

There had to be something Itachi was hiding from him, and who better than the man who had assigned the mission to Itachi to gather the information from.

That is what the Hokage had ordered him to investigate. _"Hidden Secrets of Danzo and his foundation."_

Also according to some rumours, the Uchiha clan had something to do with the Kyuubi attack, and he wanted to know exactly what had happened that night. He had the feeling that the Kyuubi attack and the Uchiha massacre were connected somehow.

"An achievement is required to show us whether or not you are suitable for the Anbu," stated Danzo.

"Do you mean a mission?"

"Precisely." Danzo didn't move a muscle.

Naruto had also not budged. He felt like if he so much as twitched in front of him, Danzo would see right through his façade. A silent battle was unfolding between the two men.

"I have been put in charge of giving you that mission." Danzo's taking the helm must indicate that it would be a dark and grim mission.

Naruto had long been prepared for such a mission eventually and simply stared at Danzo.

Danzo came straight to the matter. "There is a man in the Anbu, age thirty-four."

Naruto waited for the man to continue.

After a period of silence, Danzo started speaking again. "Many have seen great talent in him from the time he was a child. This man came up the ranks through genin and chunin without incident and joined the Anbu at the same time he was promoted to jonin, but-" He cut himself off for a second.

"Recently, we learned that he has been leaking some sensitive information to Kumogakure."

" _A traitor..."_ Naruto thought to himself. "So the one to take care of him is me?" he asked.

"I'm not finished," Danzo stated coldly. "Those who belong to the Anbu do their utmost to keep the people of the village from learning of their close relationships. On the surface, this man lives an average life as a jonin. He has a wife and two children, ages three and one."

" _What is Danzo trying to plant inside me?"_ Naruto asked himself. Was he trying to test the boy somehow by telling him that he had to kill someone with a family? But if by this speech Danzo thought that Naruto would be carried away by emotion and hesitate to fulfill his mission, Danzo was seriously mistaken.

"Other than the fact that he was linked to Kumogakure, this man is a capable ninja, trusted by the Hokage himself." Danzo spat the words in disgust. "But if we permit a traitor, the village will never be strong."

"I understand," Naruto said, with a hint of irritation at Danzo's manner of speaking. And then, as soon as the words were out, he regretted it.

"For someone as insightful as you, this tale must sound like quite a roundabout."

"Not at all," Naruto said.

"But it is all for the singular purpose of having you know this man."

Naruto swallowed the question of why he had to know the man.

"Kill this man," Danzo instructed with a tone of finality in his voice.

"Understood," Naruto replied, immediately. Family or not… gifted ninja or not... a traitor was a traitor. This was his mission.

Danzo stood up. "It is likely obvious at this point but I am convinced that the place you belong is the Anbu. You are permitted one comrade on this mission. I have already chosen a capable partner for you. He will guide you if needed.

Naruto had no problem with that, as long as his partner didn't slow him down.

Danzo went around the desk in front of him and approached Naruto. "Peace is actually a troublesome beast." He looked down and locked his eyes on Naruto's. "It is hard to produce and maintaining it is next to impossible."

Naruto felt like Danzo was a tiny bit pleased with himself.

"People eat food. While one person is finishing that day's supper, another is suffering somewhere with nothing to eat. When one person gets something, someone somewhere else loses something. Bit by bit, this inequality consumes the days of rest."

The face of many villagers when he was younger popped up in the back of Naruto's mind. He felt the people's hateful glare. He remembered going to bed with an empty stomach. He clenched his teeth behind closed lips, unwilling to have the slightest change in his heart be noticed.

"There are always people suffering in the shadows of this so-called peace. People burdened with darkness. Don't you think we should actually hold in contempt those who forget this fact, who simply gorge themselves on peace?"

Naruto didn't understand what Danzo meant by all of this. What did he want to accomplish with this? Naruto silently continued to listen.

"Previously, I said you were the bearer of bad luck."

Naruto remembered his first conversation with the man. Those words still bothered him. It plagued his mind even now.

"Your life will be ever shadowed by the chaos. That's why you need to become strong enough to cut out the roots of that chaos that bind themselves on you." Danzo said.

"And you're saying that the place where I can obtain that strength is the Anbu?"

Danzo nodded. "They say a wise man only needs words, but you only need one word...no...you only need the first letter, but that cleverness will make you suffer."

"I'll suffer..."

"Stop trying to hide your true self in front of me," Danzo interrupted. "The desire for acceptance and love of a family is making you suffer."

"How can you-"

"This Raven bird mask of yours says a lot about who you are Naruto Uzumaki." Danzo pointed at the newly obtained mask hanging by Naruto's waist.

"These birds as dark as the night itself have been known as the harbingers of death and grief, and even the collective noun for the raven is 'unkindness'. But it is also true that they are smart birds, they can imitate the human voice, and are extremely adaptable."

"You are comparing me to a bird?" Naruto questioned.

"You are one of those people who keeps their dark side hidden. You are good at observing people from a distance and understanding their thoughts. You can clearly see the darkness that hides in other people's hearts. Just like the Raven, you adapt, shift and change according to the situation. You are persistent towards achieving your goals."

Danzo spoke with so much conviction that Naruto almost thought everything he was saying was true. "The one who can bring about true peace is the one who has the deepest darkness inside him. I believe you can become that person."

At the end of that meeting, Naruto understood one thing… and that was that Danzo was very a dangerous man who would do anything to achieve his goal.

* * *

Naruto walked up to the path that led to the Hokage Monument. It was already the dead of night but he needed some time to relax in peace and collect his thoughts after his meeting with the leader of the Foundation, and nothing was better than his father's stone head to keep him comforted for the night.

The first thing Naruto noticed upon reaching his destination was a purple haired figure sitting alone, gazing over the night-time view of the village.

" _What is she doing up here?"_

Naruto stood silently wondering if he should join her, remembering their meeting earlier. But she must have noticed his presence by now.

He hesitated for a moment before he walked up to her and quietly settled down beside her. No one said a word and Naruto kept looking at her from the corner of his eye. She had tied her hair in a high ponytail.

She did not even acknowledge his presence. After a long moment of silence, Naruto said. "Nice night, huh, Purple-chan?"

"Hmmm..."

"So... anything interesting so far?" Idiot, he wanted to hit himself by now.

"Your annoying presence."

Naruto laughed nervously. "You're so funny Yugao."

Yugao looked at him blankly.

 _"Well, not so funny right now apparently..."_ He thought to himself. "Listen Yugao, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. It was out of place."

Yugao did not reply. Really, she didn't even know if she was upset with him or herself. She had been disappointed when she learned he was going to join the Anbu after she'd been working so hard to try to achieve it herself.

But after the initial shock, it didn't bother her much anymore because she knew if not today, then tomorrow, or even a year from now, she would achieve her dream of being an Anbu.

What bothered her was that uneasy feeling she had whenever she was with him. It was like he was trying to distance himself from her and the others. She feared that Naruto would become that same cold person he'd been during the academy.

She hated that Naruto.

Lost in her thoughts, she was caught completely off guard when Naruto reached his hand up to the ribbon holding her hair. Before she could react, he had grabbed it off, letting her hair flow down. She looked at him in surprise.

"I like your hair this way." Naruto smiled lightly.

"I am not here to please you, and don't touch me." She snatched the ribbon from his hand and tied her hair up again.

"Why are you even here Yugao?" Naruto asked, noticing her red eyes for the first time. Had she been crying?

"Why does it matter to you?" Yugao muttered and felt her tears coming back at full force. She didn't want him to see her in this state. She looked down at the large stone head of the Fourth and poured her heart out with her words.

"I-I wish you were here to beat some sense in your stupid son. H-he's always mean to me and doesn't l-listen to a thing I say and a-always troubles me I h-hate him-"

"H-he is nothing b-but a jerk..." She sniffed as tears continued to flow.

Naruto sat there silently watching her and felt like scum. He had never wanted to make her cry. Not knowing what else to do, and not wanting her to cry, he quickly brought her close to him in a hug.

She tensed initially in surprise, but then wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. "I-I-I'm scared Naruto."

Unable to do anything else, Naruto simply waited for her to calm.

"I feel like you're getting further and further away from everyone... from me. We're still young Naruto, but you're moving so fast that no will be able to reach you, and you'll be alone all by yourself with no one beside you again."

Is this what Danzo had meant when he'd said to kill his emotions? Did they really cause weakness? But how could bonds with other people be broken? He liked the feeling of having someone to lean on… someone who cared about him. Just like this current feeling. He didn't want to lose this feeling.

He tightened his arms around her and whispered in her ear soothingly. "I'm not going anywhere without you Yugao. I'll always be here with you."

Danzo was wrong. Emotions didn't make him weak. They made him strong, and more importantly, they make him human.

Minutes passed and Naruto and Yugao lost track of the time they were in each other's arms. After a while, they laid down on the hed still holding each other.

Yugao rested her head on his chest listening to his steady heartbeat. Naruto gazed up at the black, star-riddled sky and spoke softly. "Do you know why I like watching the sky especially at night?"

"You never told me." Yugao looked up at the sky as well, mesmerized at the dazzling stars.

There was a brief silence before Naruto started talking. "I always used to cry, thinking about my family before going to sleep. I always felt sad seeing other parents spending their time with their kids. I was desperate to find any clue which could connect me to my family-

I met Jiji in the forest outside the village for the first time. I was eating some fish when he came and asked me if I could share some with him. I remember the time he told me that, compared to the vastness of the world, man's existence is very insignificant. That was the first conversation I had with him." Naruto chuckled.

"And over the time we become close, and I grew to enjoy spending time with him because talking with him was always meaningful. Every day you got to learn something new, and looking at his power and influence in the village I asked him if he could help me find any clue on my family."

Yugao who was listening quietly, asked, "And what did he say?"

"He said he couldn't." Naruto smiled softly remembering that day. "But he said when someone dies, they become a shimmering star and watch over their loved ones from above."

"That's very beautiful."

"It may seem childish. But that was the only source from which I can connect with them, and I asked him how would I recognize them, and he told me I would just know when I see them."

"After that, I used to wait for the night to arise so I could look up at the sky." Naruto glanced at her and said. "Do you want to see them?"

Yugao smiled softly. "Is that even a question?"

Naruto laughed and pointed his finger at the sky. "You see that." He pointed towards the two stars near each other sparkling greater than the rest.

"That's my mother and father. Whenever I see those stars, they always seem to be together at each other's side. Whenever I see them I don't feel lonely and I just know that they are out there watching over me."

Yugao looked into Naruto's eyes, full of happiness. She smiled softly and leaned towards his face and kissed him on his cheek, dangerously close to his lips. Her lips lingered there for a bit before she murmured softly. "Thank you Naruto-kun." And then she rested her head back on his chest while she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Naruto was blushing crimson red from the feeling of her lips on his cheek as he spoke after a moment of silence.

"Hey, Yugao."

"Hmm..."

A small smile formed on Naruto's face. "Nothing." He closed his eyes as well while wrapping his arms around Yugao's frame.

 _What a day it was._

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and let me know your thoughts on him joining the Anbu. Also the 'Raven' mask.**

 **I choose that mask for very especial reasons since I find them very fascinating and I feel sad with the way viewed by many people. Also they kinda reflect his personality a lot in this story.**

 **And fox, toad or dragon masks are way too obvious and already used in lot of others fanfiction.**

 **If you have any question regarding the story feel free to ask I replied back on quite lot of reviews which I find interesting. Also if you have any suggestions please share with me.**

 **That's alL, I'll see you guys in the next chapter in the meanwhile you can leave your Review on the story so far or can personally PM me if you want.**

 **Thank you...**


	15. Chapter 15

**NARUTO UZUMAKI - THE GREATEST PRODIGY**

 **CHAPTER 15**

* * *

 **Note :- (IMPORTANT - THERE WERE SOME CHANGES MADE IN THE LAST CHAPTER PLEASE CHECK THAT OUT) let me know what you guys think of that. Mainly the first scene with Naruto and Yugao was changed.**

 **Now, before starting this chapter I would like to thank everyone who had received the story so for, so thank you very much guys.**

* * *

Talking - Normal person

 _Thinking -_ Normal person

 **Talking - Bijuu, summons jutsu**

 ** _Thinking -_** **Bijuu summons**

* * *

 **(Disclaimer :- I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. This fic is only for entertainment purposes)**

* * *

"I never thought Danzo would choose you to be my partner for the mission," Naruto spoke .

Clad in Konoha's Anbu gear, the man standing before Naruto rubbed a hand through his spiky silver hair. A mask covered the lower part of his face and his headband was slouched down over his left eye, but his right eye creased as he smiled.

"The Hokage gave him no choice."

Naruto smiled back. "It's good to see you after so long Kakashi."

Naruto had first met the famous Kakashi of the sharingan before the chunin exam when Shikaku had asked him to train Naruto in his lightning element. At that time, he had quickly made Naruto feel comfortable, and learning that he had once been on the genin squad under Minato had only made Naruto like him even more.

"So, an assassination mission, huh?" Kakashi murmured, his voice almost skeptical. He focused his gaze on the ground to one side.

"Huhh...can you tell me about our target a little more?" Naruto asked. Kakashi probably thought he was too young for the Anbu too, and Naruto felt even more determined to prove himself.

"Kirura Mukai, he's a pretty decent Ninja," Kakashi noted. "I've worked with him on a few missions. I still can't believe he's secretly connected with Kumogakure."

"What intel do we have on him?"

"Let's see...his family is distantly related to the Hyuga clan, but they branched off several generations earlier, so they don't have the Byakugan kekkei genkai. He's also a sharp jonin. He had the trust of the Hokage, and no one suspected him for a traitor."

"Do you know anything about him being susceptible to genjutsu?" Naruto asked, trying to come up with a plan.

"Not that I've seen, but it's not like we go around telling each other our weaknesses." Kakashi looked at Naruto with a serious expression. "As for strengths though, he is good at physical techniques."

"He uses Gentle fist?" Naruto asked.

"Without the Byakugan, it's surprising that he can pinpoint chakra points, but he somehow excels at it."

Naruto felt like that basically made sense. If Kirura's ancestors were the Hyuga clan, it was possible he'd inherited some visual prowess even if he hadn't inherited the full kekkei genkai.

"So as long as we don't get close, we have the advantage."

The Hyuga were one of the most powerful clans in Konoha, and their Byakugan was a visual jutsu on par with the Uchiha's sharingan. Their vision was said to reach out in all directions, with no blind spots, and Naruto knew it could also see the path of chakra circulating in the body.

That ability was what made the clan's physical techniques so deadly. With the Gentle Fist technique, the Hyuga could seal an enemy's chakra by severing the chakra pathways.

"Kirura's pretty skilled. I can't imagine he'd let you fight him from a distance," Kakashi responded, his look distant as if he were attempting to visualize the hypothetical battle.

"Well, you're here Kakashi, I could not have asked anyone better than you," Naruto stated. He knew he could trust Kakashi with a mission like this. His experience in Anbu could come handy for Naruto.

Kakashi grinned under his mask. "That's because you're bad with people."

Naruto scoffed. "You're no better than me, pervert."

Kakashi only patted Naruto on the head and looked amused. "That's not how you talk to your seniors, Naruto."

Naruto rolled his eyes, and Kakashi's face became serious. "Before we set out, I want to make sure you know what you're getting into. Are you certain about joining the Anbu, Naruto-?"

"The path won't be easy from here. No one will blame you if you wait a couple of more years and get some more experience before joining."

"I can't afford to waste my time Kakashi. Joining the Anbu is very important for me." He also knew he could only achieve some of his personal motives if he was a member of the Anbu, but he kept that to himself.

Kakashi let out a long sigh. "Alright, I respect your decision and promise you I'll be here if you need anything and I'll help you as best as I can."

Naruto nodded firmly, full of gratitude.

"I'll let you know when we make a move on him." Kakashi said.

* * *

Naruto's feet touched the branch and leapt off again, moving to the next tree.

He was in flight.

Around him were three ninja, teammates he was working with for the first time. Naruto knew only one of them. Kirura Mukai, the target of Danzo's assassination order.

One member of the team led by Kirura had been injured on a day off, so there was suddenly an opening on the mission, and Naruto had been hurriedly brought in to help out.

Naruto knew the moment he was chosen that Danzo was behind the chain of events that led to the chunin's injury With his selection as replacement. He assume that Danzo had used one of his own men to insure the chunin, and then intentionally had Naruto take place.

There was no other way the team his assassination target led would suddenly have vacancy. Without a doubt, this was a silent message from Danzo to carefully study his target's skills.

"It's my fault. I'm sorry," the chunin to Naruto's right said to their squad leader's back, flying in front of him.

"Forget it," Kirura replied briefly, and moved through the trees.

If they went just a little farther, they would come out in the open. Once they got that far, the border was dead ahead. Their first priority was to flee from their pursuers.

It was supposed to have been a simple infiltration mission.

Konoha had gotten hold of information that Sunagakure and Kirigakure were secretly trying to form a military alliance.

The current peace was maintained through the ninja villages, with each of the five great nations keeping each other in check. If two countries covertly joined hands and started to move towards a single fixed energy, the peace would immediately crumble and the days of war would return.

To avoid this, it was in Konoha's to prevent the treaty from being signed.

Having learned that a Kirigakure representative would visit Sunagakure, Konohagakure ordered Kirura and his team to do reconnaissance on the meeting.

They were to carefully investigate the details of the agreement, and report back. That was the whole mission. As long as the enemy didn't notice them, it was in no way difficult. Or at least, it shouldn't have been.

Naruto and others had snuck into the residence of the fourth Kazekage, and watched over the meeting from the shadows. It ended with Suna and Kiri basically comparing their positions and making small moves towards each other, and Naruto's team had moved to leave Sunagakure.

But an unforseen situation had occurred. One of the chunin on their team had been caught in a trap designed for intruders, and without a look back, the four started running. And now they were trying to escape their pursuers.

The border's up ahead," Kirura noted. "Now that they know Konoha knows about the secret agreement, the two countries can't move forward with things carelessly. The fact that we were found out is good for that, at least."

He remarked to the chunin who had been fretting the whole time about being caught in the trap.

They came out onto the plains and dropped from the trees to the ground. If they just kept running all the way to the border, they would definitely figure something out.

But Kirura suddenly stopped, causing the others to halt too. Naruto looked at the team leader. Kirura was staring at the woods they had just slipped out of. He put a hand in his pocket, pulled out a cigarette and lit it up.

"What are you doing?" Naruto said. He was perplexed at their leader's sudden actions, and judging from the expressions on the others' faces, they were too.

Ignoring Naruto, Kirura pulled a golden bottle from the back pocket of his trousers and brought it to his mouth. The sweet scent carried to Naruto by the wind revealed that the bottle contained sake.

"Team leader."

"Well you just watch there." Kirura said, without looking back at Naruto, as the wind carried away the smoke.

"We've already been found out. They're not going to let us get home unscathed. And..." he looked at Naruto over his shoulder. "We do happen to have the supposed _prodigy_ of Konoha with us. I'd like him to see what I can do, you know?"

Naruto's teammates smiled faintly.

"Here they come." Kirura mentioned, as several human forms jumped out of the woods.

There were more than twenty of them.

Their pursuers quickly spotted Naruto and the others and formed a ring around them.

"Best not to touch us." Kirura let the ashes drop on the ground from his cigarette, and gulped back some sake.

"So you give up and resign yourself, then?" One of their pursuers said. The mark carved into his forehead protector was that of Sunagakure.

"Dunno." Kirura took another swig. Their opponents seemed alarmed at his actions.

A flash of light flickered, followed by a sharp noise in front of Kirura, as he brought his left hand up before his face.

"Aaah, you went and wasted my precious sake." A kunai hung from the side of the bottle Kirura dropped.

"You got some nerve, standing there drinking at a time like this." An enemy ninja remarked.

"I've got a weakness for alcohol and tobacco. It's how I get myself all psyched up before a fight."

"So you're not going to come quietly, then?"

"Of course not."

In the next moment, their pursuers leapt at Kirura.

Some of the shinobi turned towards Naruto and the rest of his team. With no other choice, Naruto braced himself, but then his chunin teammates grabbed his shoulders and leapt up.

"What are you doing?" Naruto demanded.

"Just don't get in the boss's way," the older chunin said, as they flew over the heads of their pursuers and escaped the circle.

Some of the Suna shinobi leapt up to follow them. "Your fight's with me!" Kirura shouted after them, and launched a fast kick that exploded in the stomach of one of the enemy before he could fly after Naruto and others.

The man cried out in pain, and hit the ground, unconscious.

Kirura dropped back down to earth. "So let's get started then." His chakra swelled up suddenly. His eyes' pupils disappeared and veins popped out around them.

Byakugan. The kekkei genkai only passed down through the Hyuga clan.

Kakashi had said it was unthinkable that anybody in Kirura's family would have the Byakugan, given that their family had split off however many years ago from the main Hyuga clan. But that impossible was happening at that moment, before Naruto's very eyes.

"Don't usually show this off, but today's special," Kirura said to their opponents.

"Get him..." The Suna shinobi shouted, and their pursuers closed in on Kirura with their weapons.

Naruto watched it all play out. Kirura dodged the deadly attacks of his enemies and launched his own attacks to hit exactly in the key spots of defenseless enemies. There was nothing wasteful about his movements. His physical jutsu was so skilled that Naruto could do nothing but watch admiringly.

One person, one blow. Once Kirura had struck twenty or so times, only the enemy leader remained standing.

"Just you now," he said menacingly.

The enemy held his long katana tightly in his hand.

"So, what? You wanna go?" Kirura pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it."I can't let you go home without a scratch, now can I?"

"Aaaaaahh...!" The Suna shinobi let out a loud battle cry and closed the distance between them.

The blade come down from high, aiming to split Kirura's skull.

At the last second, Kirura shifted a bit to the right and dodged it. A sideways slashing attack cut through where he had stood, and Naruto caught the small glimpse of Kirura's Byakugan and felt his chakra rising.

"Wh-what the..." The enemy shinobi muttered.

"You just don't get it, huh?" Kirura said, cigarette dangling from his lips.

His left hand was slightly raised, the enemy's katana pinched neatly between his thumb and index finger.

A vain popped up on the enemy's face, because the blade did not move an inch, whether he pushed or pulled it.

"I'm not gonna take you down with one blow," Kirura said, letting go of the katana.

Suddenly released from this restraint, the enemy crumbled, and Kirura brought his right foot down.

"Eight trigrams two palms..." Kirura placed his palm on the man stomach, and launched two blows in succession.

"Eight trigrams four palms."

The man opened his eyes wide in fear and pain.

"Eight trigrams eight palms." Eight blows, blood shot out of the enemy's mouth.

"Eight trigrams sixteen palms." Kirura's palms hit the enemy sixteen times, from his face to his legs. The ninja flew back from the impact of the last hit and there was no consciousness left in his eyes.

More than twenty Sunagakure shinobi were sprawled out on the ground around Kirura. As he walked towards Naruto, his eyes reverted back and regained their light once more.

"The main family and the branch families might be separated in theory, but you can't separate the blood. If the element's in there, it'll show up on the surface like this. Don't run around telling people." He rested a hand on Naruto's head, and the boy shook his head to shake it off.

Thinking Naruto was annoyed at being treated like a child, Kirura smiled apologetically and walked over to their teammates. "Now, let's get home already. We wasted enough time."

"That was awesome boss."

"Right." Kirura shrugged. "Come on, let's move."

The conversation between Kirura and the others didn't reach Naruto's ears. He also wasn't the least bit angry at being treated like a child. He didn't have the mental energy to spare thinking about something so trivial.

 _"Kakashi and I are going to kill this man by ourselves..."_ It was going to be a difficult mission.

Not a mission he could carry out as easily as he had thought. It was sure to turn into deadly combat, with his life on the line. There was a serious chance he might die.

After a moment, Naruto followed after his team.

* * *

 **(One Month later)**

Naruto was hiding in the shadow of a large tree, grinning to himself. He saw Yugao and Hana hiding not too far from him, trying hard not to be noticed.

His heart pounded hard with excitement when he felt a lively aura approaching him.

"Where did you guys go?" A childish voice muttered near Naruto.

Moments like this really brought joy to Naruto. Playing with Konohamaru without any care in the world, without any worries about missions or any other troublesome things.

He wanted to enjoy his free time as much as possible, because he knew it was not going to last much longer and he would soon have to disappoint Konohamaru again.

Kirura Mukai would be taking the following day off, his first in a month. Once Naruto learned this fact from the mouth of Danzo, he had hardened his resolve.

The arrangements were soon made, and Naruto and Kakashi Hatake had their duty schedules changed.

Naruto was going to kill a ninja living in his own village...

Kirura might have been a traitor, but the fact that he was kin to Naruto was unchanged. He was a comrade from the same village. It would have been a lie to say that Naruto wasn't reluctant to kill the man. But this mission was more critical than any other he had accepted so far in his llife.

Naruto kept very much the fact that Kirura was a traitor. The man had been talking with Kumogakure in secret, and had leaked confidential information about Hyuga clan and Konohagakure. Thinking about this helped Naruto set aside his feelings of guilt.

"Found you." Konohamaru cried out, shooting a finger out at the Naruto, his eyes glittering with happiness.

"That means we won," came the cheerful voice of Hana as she came out of her hiding place grinning from ear to ear, with Yugao following behind.

Soon Naruto's surprised look turned into a little smirk. "Well...not quite, idiots." And then he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 _Shadow clone..._ the real Naruto was standing on the tree branch above.

"Hehehe heheh." Naruto unconsciously erupted in laughter upon seeing the wild look on Konohamaru's and his two teammates' faces. He then dropped down from the branch to stand in front of the little kid, whose mouth still hung open.

"N-no fair using clones," The little kid huffed in annoyance.

"Using chakra was not allowed idiot, did you forget or what?" Yugao growled at him.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry..."

"I don't wanna play this stupid game, anyway." Konohamaru said with hopeful eyes. "Come on Naruto-ni ,teach me cool jutsu."

"No learning jutsu anytime soon Kono, you are not old enough," Yugao stated firmly and sent a small glare towards Naruto.

"B-but then how am I gonna become strong like Naruto-ni and defeat the old man Hokage?"

Naruto shifted his gaze to his left when he felt a small flicker of chakra coming from behind the woods. His attention turned towards Yugao and Hana noticing their look, they must had felt it by now.

That must be Kakashi's signal, calling for him. Now that he knew their mission would be tomorrow, he must want to go over the details for the final time just in case they didn't get time tomorrow.

He sent his teammates an apologetic look and crouched down towards Konohamaru, who looked at him confusingly. "Maybe some other time Kono, I need to get going now."

"But you said you were going to play with me today." He sounded hurt.

Naruto thought for a moment and then grinned. "How about I show you a cool technique?"

"That's more like it." Konohamaru shouted in excitement.

Naruto stood up and looked around. Since this area was his old training field where he used to do the target practice, he already had the necessary targets.

Nodding, Naruto grabbed his kunai. Noticing what he was about to do, Yugao and Hana quickly took Konohamaru to hide behind a tree to avoid danger.

Once he had wedged one in between all his fingers, he had exactly eight in his hands. Eight iron claws sticking out from loose fists.

Naruto stood at the center of the field and lowered his face, focusing his mind just a little. He then poured the chakra he'd built into his eyes.

 _Sharingan..._ he saw small circular objects. Eight of them.

Naruto let out a small breath and then kicked lightly at the ground and launched himself into the air. With his body upside down, he stabilized his posture and increased his control over the kunai.

He closed his eyes and imagined the eight targets in his mind. There were two that he couldn't reach from this position. _Those two were going to be the most trouble._

First, he threw the four kunai in his left hand in a single motion. All perfectly pierced the easiest four targets.

Next, he flung the two kunai between the thumb and middle finger of his right hand. These also dug into their intended targets without difficulty.

 _Two left…_

Naruto's body was still in the air. Not even a second had passed since he leapt up from the ground.

He switched the kunai held between his middle finger and ring finger to his left hand. Now he had one kunai in each hand. He waved both arms and threw the kunai at the same time.

The trajectories of the two kunai overlapped. They collided in midair with a sharp clang, and then bounced off each other to fly off in unexpected directions. And he landed.

As he stood up slowly, he saw Konohamaru and his teammates pop their heads out, looking dumbfounded at Naruto's skill.

"Wow... you even nailed that target in the blind spot behind the rock," Hana stated as they come out from behind the tree.

"That was so cool...come teach me...teach me...teach me." Konohamaru shouted, clutching kunai in both hands.

Yugao put a hand on his shoulder and spoke softly. "Naruto needs to go Kono, but don't worry, me and Hana will play with you for a while."

Konohamaru's face turned towards Naruto with a displeased look. "You always do this." He glared at him in protest.

"I've got an important mission tomorrow. I have to get ready." Naruto nodded at Hana and Yugao and turned to leave. He'd already made Kakashi wait long enough.

Konohamaru only turned his face and pouted.

"Wherever you're going, come back safe, alright," Yugao said with a concerned look in her eyes.

Naruto smiled at her. "I will."

Hana smirked. Yugao sighed. "Something on your mind Hana?"

Hana shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. _"why I'm not surprised."_ a teasing smile still on her face. "Nothing, nothing at all Yugao."

* * *

 **(Next Day)**

Three ninjas stood looking at each other, surrounded by more than ten Kumogakure shinobi sprawled out on the ground, unconscious. They had all been defeated by Naruto and Kakashi alone.

"Surrender quietly, Kirura Mukai," Kakashi said from beside Naruto. The comma-shaped marks of the sharingan in his left eye blazed. "The Hokage is lenient on those who turn themselves in. He probably won't kill you."

Kirura let an ironic smile slip across his face. "Kakashi of the Sharingan. I'm quite honored that Konoha sent you after me-" he stopped and blew cigarette smoke out into the air.

"But seriously, why a kid like him?" He pointed towards Naruto.

He then sneered. "You know what I've done. So you should know whether or not I'd be allowed to turn myself in." With a flick of his thumb, ashes fell from his cigarette. "That I would get for my assassins the two prodigies of Konoha, at the height of their popularity, is truly the greatest honor."

His chakra suddenly increased dramatically as he glared at them. He dropped his hips low, and readied himself with his palms at chest height, in the manner particular to Gentle fist.

"Why would a ninja as good as you be a spy?" Naruto spat out the feeling in his heart.

"When you get old, things happen. You can't understand what those things are until you get some years on you. Even if I did tell you, you'd only get half of it."

"Did you think of what will happen to your family after you die?" Naruto asked.

"I won't be dying here." Countless lines raced out from his eyes.

"Byakugan!" Naruto shouted, but Kakashi was already flying backwards to get some distance from their opponent.

"I can't go easy on you." Kirura's voice reached Naruto ears.

At once, the distance between them closed. With incredible speed, his right and left palms flew towards Naruto's throat and solar plexus simultaneously.

In the next second, Kirura's hand stabbed into Naruto's stomach, reaching for his solar plexus, bending his index and middle fingers inside Naruto's body.

"Hah." Kirura spat out a breath that was a battle cry, and his hand yanked out Naruto's intestines.

Instantly, the Naruto standing there with his guts ripped out transformed into dn overwhelming numbers crows, and flew upward. But rather than try to avoid the beaks attacking him, Kirura endured it with an elegant turn of his head, as though nothing were happening.

Kakashi was creeping up behind him. **"Fire style - Great Fireball Jutsu."** Kakashi quickly wove the signs, and a ball of fire large enough to swallow Kirura shot out of his mouth.

Direct hit.

No. Only a burned log in his place.

Kakashi's face darkened. Naruto knew that even if his partner did have above average physical jutsu, Kirura was a user of Gentle fist, a technique far beyond the level of physical jutsu, and Kakashi couldn't afford to waste his chakra.

Naruto watched from the distance on high as the battle unfolded.

They were near Kumogakure's border, fighting in an area surrounded by mountains. Not a single blade of grass grew on the rocky cliffs, and there were a number of places for a lone person to hide.

Naruto slipped behind a convenient rock and watched over the other two as they fought. It had only been his shadow clone up against Kirura. Naruto hadn't moved from this place since the fight started.

Their opponent was a user of Gentle fist. It was too difficult to strike the killing blow in close combat.

Kakashi had taken on dangerous close range combat in an attempt to get Kirura in alignment with Naruto's optical axis.

That was their plan, and Naruto was waiting for that moment. If he could just activate the visual justu of the sharingan, they could make this work. But the problem was how to do it.

Kirura was fighting with his gaze down, avoiding Kakashi's sharingan. He clearly knew what the sharingan was, and that it could cast a genjutsu if he looked at it.

Just barely dodging Kirura's left thrust, Kakashi threw his torso back. Given the perfect opportunity, Kirura advanced on him.

Kakashi leapt backward, as if in flight. In that instant, Kirura's face was turned towards the rock Naruto was hiding behind. But their optical axes still had not intersected.

Kirura turned his gaze towards Kakashi as he landed, and then instantly averted his eyes.

But Kakashi's sharingan was just a decoy. The place towards which Kirura had turned his face was in the exact direction of the rock concealing Naruto.

Naruto's gaze, his mind sharply focused on his enemy, and Kirura's gaze intersected.

Or they should have.

When they were a hair's breadth apart, Kirura kicked suddenly at the ground and flew upward. When he landed, he kicked at another rock, and bounded into the sky again.

Naruto's hiding spot had been discovered.

Kirura had somehow noticed Naruto's presence with the power of the byakugan.

Perhaps to draw Naruto into a fight, Kirura was leaping straight towards the rock where Naruto was hiding. Naruto didn't fail to notice Kakashi standing behind him, before he disappeared.

Kakashi next appeared in front of Kirura.

"Tch." Clicking his tongue, Kirura was knocked back into the rock wall rising up, as Kakashi's kick ripped into his face. His skull split open.

Or so Naruto thought, before his eyes took in a splintered log. "Shadow clone." He cried out.

"Right." He heard Kirura behind him.

Gentle fist stance.

 **"Eight trigrams two palms."** His right and left palms slammed into Naruto's stomach in succession.

 **"Eight trigrams four palms."** Before Naruto had a chance to breathe, four blows slammed into him.

 **"Eight trigrams eight palms."** As if sneering at Naruto's brain as it fumbled for the start of a counterattack, Kirura assaulted him mercilessly with successive attacks.

"Ngaaaah." Naruto heard a cry from Kirura's right side.

In the corner of Naruto's hazy field of view, Kakashi launched a flying kick.

"Kakashi." Naruto murmured his partner's name because Kirura had dropped into a defensive posture.

As Kirura dodged the kick merely by angling his head, he grabbed hold of Kakashi's neck with his outstretched left hand, and held him tightly. Kakashi struggled frantically. But the five fingers that sunk into his throat simply would not peel away.

"For a so-called genius, you're quite dumb Kakashi Hatake. Did you forget that the Byakugan does not have any blind spot? Or did you underestimate this old man?"

"Kirura Mukai..." Unconsciously, Naruto called the name of his enemy. His feet had also taken a step forward without him realizing it.

"What? You want me to kill your friend?" Kirura looked surprised, and almost impressed, seeing Naruto move even after the flow of chakra in his body had been interrupted.

Naruto's body was hurting like hell; he had never felt this much pain in his life. It was also getting difficult for him maintain the seal on his eyes, let alone to keep his sharingan activated.

But Naruto's feet would not stop moving.

"Then I'll put him out of his misery, as requested."

"Hngh."

The hand around Kakashi's throat tightened its grip.

"Stop…!" Naruto shouted, and the sharingan in his eyes glittered as the seal become undone. Not able to control his chakra properly, Naruto couldn't yet cast powerful genjutsu with his sharingan, but he had to try.

Kirura's eyes widened in shock. "H-how? Th-that no-t possible." Then he hardened his glare when he felt a foreign chakra trying to enter in his mind. "There's no way that sort of genjutsu is going to work on me."

But that little distraction was all Kakashi needed, as he puffed up in smoke, making Kirura's eyes widen again.

In the next second, the ground below him burst open as the real Kakashi jumped out with a stream of blue lightning enveloping his right arm, sounding like a thousand birds chirping.

 **"Chidori."** Kakashi shouted, and thrust his arm forward, piercing Kirura's chest.

"Acrkk..." Kirura struggled to speak, blood spurting out of his mouth. Kakashi slowly pulled his arm out and let him drop to the ground.

"Any last words you want to say?" Kakashi asked, crouching down near the fallen ninja.

"W-who would have thought a brat like you was hiding something like a s-sharingan from the world. I guess e-everyone has their secrets." He spoke as Naruto crouched down near him.

Naruto kept quiet.

"S-so this is where we're at... I did what I did on my own. My family had nothing to do with it..."

"So the crime of treason was yours alone?" Kakashi said.

"Totally selfish, but, well..." With a trembling hand, Kirura groped for something in his pocket.

Naruto pushed aside the dying man's fingers, and pulled out the object he was fumbling for. He grabbed a cigarette from the package, and put it between the man's lips.

"L-light..."

This time Kakashi pulled the lighter from Kirura's pocket, and held the flame to the end of the cigarette.

Kirura took a long drag. "This is how a ninja dies, you know? I'll be waiting for you over there..." Kirura's hand dropped, the cigarette still between his fingers, and he stopped moving.

"It's over." Kakashi said, his voice suddenly shaking with exhaustion.

Naruto nodded. "That jutsu you used..."

"It's called chidori, or Lightning blade. It's an assassination technique. I developed it by mistake."

"By mistake?" Naruto asked in confusion. You don't develope such a lethal technique by mistake.

Kakashi gave his traditional eye smile. "Maybe I'll tell you some other time."

* * *

 **(A Week Later)**

"Here's your equipment."

"Thank you very much," Naruto said, gazing at the Anbu in front of him. He was in the headquarters of Anbu, for the first time as a member.

Naruto took the equipment and uniform and left to change. This was the path he had chosen for himself. From now on, he would fight from the shadows.

His first steps towards reaching his dream.

He thought of Itachi, and the last meeting Naruto had with him after the Uchiha massacre. He still remembered Itachi's final words.

 _Become a true Ninja_

 _"Just as you told me Itachi, I'm going to walk in the shadows just like you, like a true ninja and protect the Hidden leaf village till my last breath."_ Naruto put on his Raven mask.

 _"And I will find the truth that you're hiding from me."_

* * *

"The team leader is Kakashi Hatake." Danzo said, gaze trained on the paper before him as Naruto stood at attention. They were in Danzo's room of the house given to the Foundation.

"Yes," Naruto replied, and glanced again at the boy in the white tiger mask standing beside Danzo. He had been curious this whole time the boy looked only 3 or 4 years older than him.

"He is an excellent ninja." Danzo said, still talking about Kakashi.

Naruto knew how capable and strong Kakashi was. After all he had seen first-hand what he could do.

"He has a darkness inside. This is the most important element for the Anbu."

 _Darkness... does Kakashi have darkness inside? And does Danzo think the same about me?_ Naruto wondered.

"Rest assured. You have plenty of darkness," Danzo said, almost as if he had seen right through Naruto. Having come into contact with Danzo many number of times now, Naruto wasn't surprised.

Danzo then dropped the paper and put a hand on the shoulder of the boy beside him. "This boy is also going to be on loan to Team Ro."

Danzo's Foundation was a part of Anbu, but it had a different chain of command and the two organizations were completely separate. Naruto had heard that because of that, they didn't regularly exchange information or personnel.

"Don't worry. I obtained Hiruzen's permission." Danzo offered, as if reading his mind once more. No matter how many times Naruto heard that arrogant way of speaking, he could never grow to like it.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Torune," the boy in the tiger mask said.

"Torune is a special condition and a recent addition to the Foundation. I want him to gain a little experience in regular Anbu, before he can serve in the Foundation."

"I can't touch anybody directly, without infecting them with poison. Other than that, I'm good at long range combat and will do my best on the missions," Torune said, his voice friendly as he talked about his deadly ability.

"He will be your hands and feet, and will be there to protect you from any kind of danger."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Danzo. "Protecting me? Is someone targeting me?"

"A jhinchuriki, and a mere twelve years old. That position's plenty to inspire hate and jealousy."

Naruto was silent. He had sensed the negativity of some of the members of the Anbu during today's meet and greet with Team Ro. They weren't vocal about it but Naruto could still feel most of them were not welcoming towards him.

Kakashi had said they would open up with time. But still he didn't want anybody to protect him. He could protect himself. "I can take care of anybody-"

"Do not underestimate the ninjas of Anbu." Danzo cut Naruto off. "It's entirely plausible that some of them might try to kill you, and make it look like you died during a mission."

"Impossible."

"That impossible situation is entirely possible," Danzo reaffirmed.

"You will have more responsibility to shoulder from now on. Do your best to fulfill your duties in the Anbu, Naruto Uzumaki." Danzo came around the desk and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto bowed slightly and left the room.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Finally the chapter is finished. Hopefully you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **If anyone was disappointed about, Naruto not doing much on the mission, I did that because at the moment Naruto heavily relied on genjutsu, so it will be good wake up call for him and focus on other thing as well.**

 **I know some of you may not like that. But it was necessary for his growth.**

 **So let me know your thoughts on that. Also please check out the previous chapter as well and share your thoughts on that as well.**

 **Well that's all I wanted to say. Please don't forget to leave a review, its helps me a lot. If you want to suggest something on the story or my writing, please do.**

 **Thank you...until next time... (REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW:) )**


	16. Chapter 16

**NARUTO UZUMAKI - THE GREATEST PRODIGY**

 **CHAPTER 16**

* * *

 **Note :- Hello and welcome back guys, hope you're all doing great. Thank you for your response on the last chapter. Well anyway while reading some of the reviews, I've would like to explain somethings. There was a review regarding role of Hana in the story. I actually thought some things for her after all she's going to play a big role in future. I actually wanted to concentrate on developing Naruto's character and his relation with Yugao before starting the cannon events.**

 **Also with Kakashi and Naruto fight with Kirura, it was because it was mission for Naruto to assassinate the man that's why Kakashi was held himself back. He was fighting defensively and trying to create opportunity for Naruto to catch the man in his sharingan genjutsu. But he failed when he chakra pathway was blocked.**

 **Hope I made it clear on why Kakashi looked so off during the whole fight. Also it was important for Naruto to realise that he need to improve his other skills too if he want to survive in the Anbu.**

 **That's all i wanted to say, if you guys still have some questions, you can contact me through PM, thank you... :)**

* * *

Talking : Normal person

 _Thinking :_ Normal person

 **Talking : Bijuu/Summons/Jutsu**

 ** _Thinking :_** **Bijuu/Summons**

* * *

 **(Disclaimer :- I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, this fic is only for entertainment)**

* * *

"A little anticlimactic, isn't it," the man in the dog mask asked, standing next to the simple door opposite Naruto. When Naruto stayed silent, the man added, "well, just because it's Anbu doesn't mean it's all dangerous missions. Guarding the Hokage is a legitimate mission, too."

It had been over a month since Naruto had joined the Anbu.

"I know that," Naruto replied from beneath his raven mask, his voice matter of fact.

The man in the dog mask was Kakashi Hatake, the leader of Anbu team Ro and Naruto's direct supervisor. He had already been a member of the village's elite Anbu for ten years, and was also one of the Hokage's most trusted men.

Naruto's respect for Kakashi had only grown over time.

It was Kakashi who had been the deciding factor for Naruto's promotion into Anbu. The mission to assassinate Kirura Mukai was one he could not have done alone. If Kakashi hadn't been on that mission with him, Naruto might have died.

But ninja focused only on results and Naruto didn't want to focus on whether he could have died. He only cared about getting stronger so that he didn't have to rely on genjutsu to get him out of unfavourable situations.

"You remember the basic tactics of the Anbu?" Kakashi lobbed the innocuous question his way. He was a good supervisor, Naruto thought, always seeming to carefully consider his subordinates' feelings.

 _Friend - killer._

Naruto had heard it many number of times since he had joined the Anbu. The phrase of choice for people looking to badmouth Kakashi. _"If it was to complete a mission, Team leader Kakashi would even kill his friends."_

The faces of those uttering the ugly abuse were always mean. But it was always from someone older than Kakashi, and Naruto was sure it was nothing more than an insult stemming from annoyance and jealousy.

On a day to day basis, Naruto had never heard a single word spoken by Kakashi against their comrades. In fact, it was actually notable how careful he was to pay his respect to the bonds he shared with them, and it made Naruto respect him even more.

 _Well, except for his ridiculous lame excuses for not being on time._

 _Kakashi always being extra attentive to Naruto, since he joined the Anbu. He was searching for a way to start a conversation, wanting to make Naruto settle in the Anbu comfartably_

"I've got the basics in my head," Naruto noted, standing but not looking at his team leader.

"No surprise there."

For Naruto, who had read every document he could get hold of on the use of small ninja teams, the particular strategies of the Anbu were extremely fascinating. He studied the best strategies for four-person teams, three-person teams, two-person; even the actions to take as a solitary ninja.

The lists of practical tactics, from constant offense positioning, to exploring the possibilities for the completion of the mission, were comprehensive, including every situation a ninja might encounter on a mission. Everything from feints and disturbances to defensive formations and cooperation had been honed and specialized to crush the enemy and execute the mission.

Spurred on by his intellectual curiosity, Naruto had devoured the thick Anbu tactical book in a single night.

"There's clearly a reason why they called you a prodigy when you came to the academy," Kakashi said.

"Coming from the youngest graduate ever, that's a big compliment," Naruto stated, with a hidden smile behind his mask.

"When I graduated, it was in the middle of the Great war, and they needed ninjas. The situation's different now."

Now that Kakashi mentioned it, the current system at the academy was even different from how it had been when Naruto graduated. The Great war and the Kyuubi attack after-effects had still lingered when he had graduated. Because of that, once his actual abilities were recognized, he had been skipped ahead, leading to his early graduation.

But now, the Hokage was determined that ninjas should be carefully cultivated over a number of years, and it was no longer possible to graduate early. No matter how talented an individual was now, he or she couldn't become a ninja until they were 13 years old.

"It's only in my head. Once I actually try keeping up with my comrades, it won't be able to say that I studied anything."

"You'll be fine," Kakashi said, almost as though he had seen it already. In his voice, Naruto heard no excessive expectation or irresponsibility from carelessness or pride.

Kakashi's voice was completely casual, which was exactly why it was mysteriously persuasive. "And I'm hoping the Anbu will become a place of pride for you."

"Thank you."

 _A supervisor I can count on..._ There was something about Kakashi that made Naruto think that.

* * *

Sweat formed on Naruto's forehead and his eyes narrowed in concentration. He was in a troubling situation.

In front of him sat Shikaku with the same expression, a wooden game board placed between them with various wooden pieces in play.

 _Shogi_

They were sitting in the backyard of Shikaku's house under a clear blue sky, and Naruto took a deep breath through his nose as he moved a single piece forward to take one of the opposing pieces out.

He had developed a habit of playing this game whenever he got the chance. It was good for his mind and for coming up with new strategies. And it was quite relaxing too.

About two months had passed since Naruto joined the Anbu, but his regular days had continued unchanged. His main duties were guarding the Hokage's office and practicing with his comrades, and he still hadn't been given any new missions that would expose his life to danger.

 _"You couldn't exactly say the village was at peace if we were out on assassinations and dangerous missions all the time. The fact that we've got nothing to do is proof of peace,"_ Kakashi had said, and laughed easily.

"Game..." Shikaku stated with a smirk as he took out Naruto's king piece with a flourish.

"Again." Naruto couldn't quite keep the annoyance from his voice as he started placing the pieces back in their places.

"What's the overall score so far?"

"6-17..." Naruto responded and moved a single piece forward, starting a new game. They had been playing for quite a while now, and even those six wins felt like a victory to Naruto. Beating Shikaku at shogi was no easy feat.

"How's everything in the Anbu?" Shikaku asked as he concentrated on his next move. "Have you noticed any kind of resentment?"

Not all, but most of the Anbu members were prejudiced against him, and still didn't think well of him. In fact, some of his comrades in Anbu had even made a show of their displeasure.

But he couldn't say without reservations that this was simply because he was a Jhinchuriki. And twelve years of age, Naruto's youth was another source of irritation.

"It's a fact that some of the Anbu are wary of me, and some don't think well of me," Naruto began, while trying to counter his sensei's shogi strategy. "But, that being said, I don't feel any active hatred. Although Danzo said that their jealousy could come together and be twisted into a bigger emotion."

 _Hate._

As Shikaku listened, his right eyebrow twisted upwards. "And what do you think of all that?"

"Nothing," Naruto responded, simply looking at his sensei. "If I start paying attention to them, I'll lose track of my goals. I just try to be as professional as possible with them. Besides, Kakashi said to give them some time and their thoughts will change."

Shikaku nodded, then a moment later he spoke. "I do know that Anbu is a great opportunity for you to gain experiences. So keep polishing your skills." His face then took on a more serious expression. "How far have you gotten with Danzo?"

"That man doesn't trust me. I have a feeling he knows my intentions." It had been over a month since he'd had any contact with Danzo but the fact that a member of the Foundation had been placed in the same team with Naruto was proof of Danzo's distrust.

Naruto was in the Anbu, which was under the direct control of the Hokage with no connection with the foundation. In terms of work, Danzo and Naruto basically had nothing tro do with each other.

But Naruto had been tasked by the Hokage to gather whatever intel he could on the secret organization and its leader. Given the interest in him that Danzo had shown, Naruto had originally thought it would be easy to get close to him and get that information, but it was like the man had disappeared in the last month.

"Don't let your guard down around him, Naruto."

Naruto nodded but stayed silent. _It's not like I need to be told that._

"So... what about Yugao?" Shikaku then asked, changing the subject with a small smirk.

For a moment, Naruto was completely caught off guard, and his eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"It's usually hard to figure out what you're thinking, but I guess this at least was pretty easy, "Shikaku said, a playful smile spreading across his face. "Take a look in a mirror."

Naruto averted his eyes. "I don't have an opinion of her. She's just a friend."

"And yet the moment I said the name 'Yugao' you looked like you had a pretty strong opinion."

Naruto kept his face low, not meeting his sensei's gaze. He didn't understand why Shikaku was having this conversation with him.

There was no doubt that Yugao was one of the few friends he had, and one of the most important people in his life. That he couldn't deny. She had come into his life when things were dark and he'd be forever grateful for her support and kindness. Yugao was like a light in his life, in fact. But did he have feelings for her more than friendship?

After all, Hana was also a very close friend.

But when pressed by Shikaku like this, he knew the feelings he had for Hana and Yugao were totally different. He just wasn't sure.

In short, he really didn't know either.

"Why are we even having this conversation?" he asked. "It's not like it matters." Even if he had romantic feelings, he would bury them. Yugao could find a much better and smarter guy than him. One who could give her the love and respect she deserved. But the thought of her with someone else also made his heart sink. Damn his sensei for forcing him to think about this.

"This is important Naruto, I'm not blind and can see clearly how close you two are getting. And I don't want you to do something stupid, which you'll regret later," Shikaku stated genuinely. "You were both my students and all I want is what's best for you two."

"I said it earlier, I don't have time to worry about this sort of thing. And as well as I know Yugao, she'll say the same. She has her own problems to worry about." Naruto knew his response was a little forceful but he really didn't want to continue the conversation.

"As your sensei it's my responsibility to guide you Naruto," Shikaku raised an eyebrow as Naruto stood up and started putting his sandals on. "The game's still not over."

"I don't feel like playing anymore," Naruto said. "I'll catch up with you later. I have to prepare for a mission tomorrow."

Shikaku let out long sigh and shook his head. "That kid... seriously."

"So... he left?" Shikaku turned his head to the source of the voice and saw his wife standing near the back door. "I told you earlier, you should have let me talk to him about this matter."

 _Troublesome..._

"Tchh... you better stop thinking that word if you don't want to sleep outside, tonight."

* * *

"So this is how it's going to be, huh?" Kakashi muttered, and jumped.

Naruto's team leader, the lower half of his face covered by a black mask, was already gone. Naruto jumped off the cliff after him.

The dead bodies of their comrades lay in the valley below, killed by ninjas from the Land of Frost.

The two lands had been on the verge of forming an alliance when it happened. The alliance was to be made official ten days later, and they had been in the middle of a mission to exchange letters stating the final terms, when the Land of Frost had suddenly bared its teeth.

The enemy had been uninterested in an alliance from the start.

It had been four Konoha ninja against ten. Outnumbered. In the blink of an eye, the Konoha shinobi tasked with the duty of exchanging letters had been killed.

The mission Naruto and his team had been given was to exterminate the enemy if the negotiations broke down. But the team wasn't to move in unless the situation was clear, and as a result, their initial response had been delayed, leading to the annihilation of their allies.

The moment the Frost ninjas had appeared—a suspiciously large force—it had felt very much like a breakdown in the process.

If the Anbu had leapt out at that point in time, their comrades might not have died, Naruto thought. However, even if Naruto had been leading the team, he couldn't have moved until all four were wiped out.

Ahead of him, Kakashi landed in the midst of the enemy, his right hand simultaneously plunging through the heart of one of them, a stream of blue lightning enveloping his arm.

 _Chidori... Kakashi's best technique_.

By the time his team leader was pulling his arm out, Naruto had landed dead center among the enemy.

There were two other Anbu with them. One was Torune and the other was a ninja called Tenzo. He was a little younger than Kakashi but his career in the Anbu had already been fairly long.

"Konoha Anbu!" An enemy ninja shouted.

In the next instant, a thick tree branch tangled around the man's throat and tightened like a snake. Unable to push back against the incredible force of it, the man's life was choked out of him, long tongue lolling from his mouth.

It was Tenzo's jutsu. He was able to use wood style, a ninjutsu only the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had been able to use before.

"Konoha never had any intention of making an alliance with us, hm?" one of the enemy said to Kakashi.

"You came at us first," Kakashi growled, and his chidori in the man's stomach prevented any further argument.

Naruto heard a shriek from behind him. Spinning, he saw an enemy hurtling towards him, a long sword held above his head.

Turning back just as the sword closed in on top of his head, Naruto quickly lifted his arm and grabbed the attacker's hand on the hilt, crushing it beneath his grasp.

"Nghhh."

"Give it up," Naruto advised, feeling the crunch of bone beneath his grip.

Struggling but unable to bring the sword down, the enemy glared at him, beads of sweat popping up on his forehead.

 _"Sharingan."_ Naruto focused his gaze on the man.

His enemy shuddered violently once, and then completely relaxed. Like a marionette with its strings cut, the man had started to drop when his head was suddenly sliced from his body before Naruto's eyes.

Soaked in blood, the man's body fell through Naruto's arms, and where he had been, Torune now stood, a dripping ninja blade glittering in his grip.

"The mission from the lord Hokage was the extermination of the enemy," Torune said in a hard voice, only loud enough for Naruto to hear. He must have seen through Naruto's plan to trap the man in the genjutsu and spare his life.

In Naruto's opinion, there was no need to exterminate the entire contingent. Letting some live to return home and relate the power of Konoha would be a more effective check against the Land of Frost.

"I know," Naruto gritted out, but Torune had already turned away, his blade flying towards the neck of one of the enemy on his knees, begging for his life. Beyond him, Tenzo's wood style ninjutsu produced sharp branches that pierced the back of another ninja trying to flee.

"This will make the land of frost and Konoha enemies."

"Your lives will prevent that." Kakashi said, as his arm ripped into the man's solar plexus.

Naruto surveyed the chaos and death around him, unsure of his next move.

"Naruto!" Tenzo shouted.

Naruto spun and caught sight of another enemy—no more than a boy—almost upon him with a look of determined menace. Holding kunai in both hands and clenching his teeth, he looked only 10-11 years of age, younger than Naruto.

"Gahh!" His battle cry sounded like a sob.

But Naruto had spun too late. A sharp pain raced through his side as the boy's kunai sunk between his ribs. The boy's slender shoulders shook fiercely as he fell against Naruto, and tears began to fill his eyes.

"Naruto!" Kakashi shouted in panic.

"I'm all right," Naruto gasped, knowing the blade had missed his organs.

Shaking like a leaf, the boy lifted his face. The slender shoulders shook fiercely as they touched Naruto belly, and tears began to fill his eyes.

"You're a proper ninja now. Be strong," Naruto told his enemy kindly. In the shinobi world, even a child like this one had plenty of war potential.

In his confusion and fear, the boy had no idea what was going on. He shook his head from side to side, and his eyes rolled desperately.

"You didn't run away, you came right at me. So, I want to treat you with the courtesy a full-fledged ninja deserves." Naruto grabbed his own kunai, so that the boy couldn't see, and in a flash of speed, ran it up through the slender nape of his crying enemy's neck. Blood spurted from the wound, but none splattered on Naruto as he stepped back.

The young body fell onto the pile of corpses, neither enemy nor ally.

"This is a battlefield," Naruto murmured, not loud enough for anyone to hear as he pulled the enemy kunai from his ribs.

 _"How is this taking me closer to my dream?"_ Naruto asked himself. He felt as though his body had a weight bearing down on it.

In his childhood days, he had prayed with all his heart that he would become a ninja stronger than anyone else and become the Hokage so he could erase all the needless fighting in the world.

 _For how long would children be robbed of their childhoods in the name of protecting their villages? Can't human beings understand each others' suffering?_

Naruto wondered how long could he keep this up? Did he really belong in the Anbu? _If this is how it is, I want to walk away from everything, from the village, Anbu, and be free from all these burdens._

But he knew that would never be allowed.

It wasn't that he was scared. It wasn't that he was sad. He had killed people before. But an emotion he couldn't put into words surged within him. He didn't understand why, but he felt a tightness in his chest.

The boy's eyes, devoid of light, stared back at the troubled Naruto.

For the first time in his life Naruto was questioning his dream. For the first time he was doubting himself.

* * *

 **(Time Skip)**

"Hah.." Expelling a breath full of ambition, Naruto looked at his cheerful friend and felt refreshed in both mind and body, as he stood there drenched in sweat.

It had been a year since he had joined the Anbu, but he still liked to spend his free time with his old teammates whenever he could. Now thirteen years old, Naruto finally stood at the same height as Yugao. He didn't have to worry about people teasing him for his height, anymore.

Yugao smiled. "Yeah, training with you forces me to really put my back into it."

They had been sparring seriously for three hours or so, as a way for them to vent their stress with their assignments. They had already gone fifteen rounds, with breaks of about three minutes after each one, resulting in five wins for Yugao and ten for Naruto. The only rule was no sharingan for him; everything else was fair game.

The shuriken they flung at each other clashed in the air, and flew off in an unexpected direction. Neither Naruto nor Yugao watched to see where they went. They were already leaping at each other, and closing the distance between themselves.

"Chi.."

"Hah.."

Their fighting cries blended together.

Their bodies collided in midair, tangled together, and crashed to the ground.

Yugao got to her feet and in position first, and launched a kick at Naruto, who was propped up on one knee. Naruto immediately thrust his right arm out to block it.

His field of vision shook with the impact of the kick, and he saw Yugao quickly weaving signs.

She took a deep breath and shouted, **"Water Release - Steam technique!"** Then a stream of boiling steam spewed from her mouth.

Naruto started at the steam streaking towards him, and a small smile pulled his lips at the corners.

 _You let your guard down again Yugao._

As the steam of boiling water hit Naruto, the clone instantly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

" _Damn his clones."_ Yugao gritted her teeth when the real Naruto appeared behind her with a kunai at her throat and bent her knees with his leg.

"So...I win, huh," Naruto stated with a smirk.

Yugao couldn't stop a small smile forming her face. "I don't repeat my mistakes, baby."

Naruto blinked his eyes in confusion, and tensed when the Yugao in front of him dissolved in a puddle of water.

Naruto relaxed his stance when he heard laughter from the side and saw Yugao standing there pointing a finger at him.

He folded his arms. "I take it as draw."

In the end, the result was eleven wins for Yugao, twenty three for Naruto, and one draw.

* * *

"You've gotten stronger since the last time we sparred with each other," Naruto said gently.

He was lying with Yugao in the shade of a tree with his head resting on her lap, as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. She smiled.

"How are your missions going?" he asked.

"They're nothing like your Anbu missions, just decent enough, not too hard, not too easy."

Naruto nodded silently.

A small blush appeared on her cheeks when she looked at him. She understood her feelings and wasn't afraid to show them, unlike Naruto who tried his best to hide his own feelings, but still failed miserably. She could read his eyes like an open book, no matter how hard he tried to hide things from her.

She couldn't even remember when she had fallen for her former teammate and best friend. Maybe it was the time they had slept in each other's arms on top of the Hokage monument, or maybe it was way earlier that that, as early as the first time she'd looked into his mesmerising blue eyes.

There were so many moments, but what mattered was that she loved him now, with all her heart.

"Yugao...Yugao."

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Naruto's voice. "Huhh?" She blushed again, this time from the embarrassment.

"What happened?" Naruto asked sitting up straight, looking at her in concern.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun, just lost in thoughts."

"You sure?"

Yugao nodded with a small smile. Then suddenly a glint appeared in her eyes and she leaned forward and whispered. "I have surprise for you tomorrow."

"A surprise?" Naruto asked in confusion. "What is it?"

"Uh huh..." Yugao shook her head playfully. "Then it wouldn't be a surprise. But I can't wait to see your reaction tomorrow."

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. " _Troublesome woman."_

She only giggled.

"So... how's everything at home?" Naruto asked.

Just as he asked the question Yugao's bright expression sobered. "Same as always."

"Not good, huh?" Naruto's eyes softened.

Yugao's father was a former Anbu member and during one of his missions he had been injured critically and lost a leg. He'd fallen ill because of that injury and was currently bedridden.

Yugao lived with his mother and father, and was the family breadwinner.

"He's gotten a lot weaker lately. He's even stopped recognizing me."

"I...I'm sorry Yugao."

"It's alright." Yugao tried to give him her best smile. "Everybody dies someday. I'm ready for it."

Faced with Yugao's sad resolve, Naruto didn't know how to respond, he just pulled her into his arms and caressed her hair softly. "No matter what happens, Yugao, I'll protect you. I'll always be there for you."

"That's a promise of a lifetime,"

Yugao tightened her hold on him, her cheeks flushing, holding him back. "But I don't need you to protect me Naru. I just want you to be with me forever."

Naruto pulled away slightly and gave her a teasing smile. "Yugao, you sound like you're in love with me."

"And...what if I am?" she said, her voice a challenge.

Naruto leaned forward, his teasing words not fully masking his sudden nervousness. "You sure about that?"

Yugao's heart was beating, but she tilted her head and leaned forward to meet him. With their noses almost touching and their lips inches apart, Naruto's eyes widened. She could feel his breath on her face. "So what are you going to do now Naru?" she murmured.

"I-I don't know," Naruto whispered, a blush on his face. "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," she said, suddenly feeling just as shy as Naruto looked.

But in the next moment, their lips met, neither knowing who made the first move.

It was a soft kiss, and their lips lingered together as Yugao gently touched his cheek with her fingertips and Naruto trailed a hand through her hair.

A thousand thoughts raced through her head in an instant. She wasn't sure what this made them now, or if it would mean nothing to Naruto tomorrow. But for now, it was a perfect first kiss.

Naruto gently pushed her back and laid her down, not breaking the kiss, their lips moved in sync with each other. Yugao moaned and kissed him with all the love she held for him.

Yugao ..." Naruto said, and was the first to pull away.

She opened her eyes, a smile forming on her lips rubbing his cheeks with her fingers softly and looked into his eyes with love admiration, but at the troubled look in his eyes, she frowned in worry.

"Naruto-kun is everything ok?"

"I'm sorry—I didn't mean to . . . we shouldn't have done that."

Yugao's heart broke at his sudden response. "W-what. . . why?" she asked hesitatingly.

"Please, let's just pretend it never happened. I don't want to talk about it," he said, his face hardening as he looked away.

Yugao felt the tears spring to her eyes. Did he know how badly he was hurting her? Why wouldn't he just accept his feelings? Straightening and trying to hide her feelings, she said as steadily as possible, "Sure, Naruto-kun."

* * *

 **(Next day)**

Naruto was sitting on a high tree branch, sharpening his kunai, in one of the training grounds assigned to the Anbu. He sat in a relaxed position with his feet hanging down, the Raven mask hiding his face.

The thought of Yugao was still not leaving his mind. All he could think of was Yugao and that _damn_ kiss. The feel of her lips on lips _"damn it"_ He didn't know what had gotten into him.

He cared about her, of that he was certain. She was strong and intelligent and had been a pillar of support in his life. He just wasn't ready to return her feelings at this stage.

He wished he hadn't hurt her though. _That look in her eyes full of love and admiration._ It was hurting Naruto more than anything else.

Naruto looked at his team members on the ground standing quietly. He then looked at his team leader. Breaking the long silence, he said, "Captain."

The team leader glanced at Naruto.

"How long do we have to wait?" Naruto asked.

"She'll be here any moment now."

 _"She?"_ Since Kakashi had retired from the Anbu and joined the regular forces as a Jonin, their team was one member short and they were now waiting for the newly appointed Anbu to Team Ro.

Naruto didn't understand why Kakashi had left the Anbu just to take a squad of fresh genin from the academy. Although, he didn't know if he should feel sorry for Kakashi or those genin, because knowing Kakashi he was going to put them through hell.

"I just hope whoever they sent is good enough. After all, our squad is considered the best in the Anbu," one of the members of team Ro said.

"I'm sure they wouldn't pick just anyone," Naruto responded. His relationship with his fellow subordinates had improved a lot but the only one on the squad he could say he was friends with and could trust as a teammate was Tenzo, their team leader now.

"No one will show any kind of hostility towards our new team member. She was picked by Hokage-sama for her achievements. I want all of you on your best behavior, am I clear?" Tenzo spoke firmly.

"Is _she_ our new squad member?" a member of the team in an eagle mask said, pointing his finger out.

Naruto looked up to see a female figure approaching them. A cat mask hid her face and purple hair hung past her shoulders. Naruto's heart almost skipped a beat and his eyes widened. Was that . . .?

For a moment he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, when she slowly slid her mask to the side and revealed the face that Naruto hadn't been able to get out of his mind since yesterday. _It can't be real._

"My name is Yugao Uzuki and the new member of Team Ro." She spoke with a blank tone and unreadable expression.

"I'm Tenzo, your team leader." Tenzo said addressing her. "You were picked for your kenjutsu and sensory abilities, as well as your impressive track record. I hope you'll put them to good use."

"I will do my best, captain," Yugao stated, her expression not changing, and for a moment, her gaze locked with Naruto. But it was only there for a second before her attention shifted back to her new teammates, as they introduced themselves one by one.

It was almost like she could see right through his mask with the way she looked at him.

When all the introductions had finished, Tenzo spoke. "Alright, it's time to move out. We have a patrol duty around the village today."

Naruto jumped down in front of Yugao when he was sure they were alone and lifted his mask. "So...is this the surprise you were talking about yesterday?"

He had thought things would be complicated and awkward between them after yesterday's events. But he wasn't prepared for her response. With a professional look, she merely smiled politely. "I look forward to working with you and the others."

She was the perfect blend of maturity and childishness, anger and politeness, he thought. For a moment Naruto's eyes shifted to her lips, and he regretted it because now he was having hard time looking away. Yugao blushed.

Stepping forward, he gently poked her forehead with two fingers. "I'm happy that your skills are finally being acknowledged, Yugao," he whispered softly.

Yugao gave the faintest of smiles. "Just so you know Naru, I haven't given up on you."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Well it's done, it took me some time to complete this one hope you all like the chapter. Let me know if you have any question or suggestions regarding the story.**

 **Now I can concentrate on starting the cannon events, since there nothing left to develop Naruto's character. At first I thought I wanted to start the cannon events around 13-14 chapter but it took a little long.**

 **Also regarding Naruto × Yugao things are still not clear between them, with Naruto still in conflict with his feelings.**

 **Hopefully you all like the chapter or even didn't like the chapter let me know by reviewing the story.**

 **All your reviews and messages really motives me to write and deliver the best of my abilities. So please don't forget to leave your review guys.**

 **THANK YOU... I'll try to upload the next chapter as soon as possible.**


	17. Chapter 17

**NARUTO UZUMAKI - THE GREATEST PRODIGY**

 **CHAPTER 17**

* * *

 **Note : Welcome back guys I know its been a while and I apologise for that but anyway here's the new chapter for you all and before starting the chapter I would like to clear something about the story that, from now on I'll be starting on with the cannon timeline and didn't wanted to wait since I planned to start the cannon events by chapter 14-15 but its alright.**

 **Thanks for the support so far you have been really supportive and patients with me so thanks for that I really appreciate it. Because of you thhe story crossed 1k followers and 940+ favourite also the story is very close to crossing 200k views and I'm sure before this chapter it get there so thanks for the love and support.**

 **Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Talking - Normal Human

 _Thinking -_ Normal Human

 **Talking - Summon/Bijuu/Jutsu**

 ** _Thinking -_** **Summons/Bijuu**

* * *

 **(Disclaimer:- I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. This fic is only for entertainment)**

* * *

 **(Time skip - 3 Year)**

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, looked at the Anbu captain kneeling in front of him. They were alone in the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen put his pipe to his lips. "How did your investigation go?" he said, exhaling smoke.

"We noticed a lot of movement near our borders with the sudden appearance of this newfound Sound village." The Anbu reported. "Also, there's a sudden increase in Bandit activities on our border."

"Did we get any news from our spies in the area on the identity of the leader of the sound village?"

"Not yet Hokage-Sama, but they are all on high alert."

"This is suspicious Tenzo. We can't allow them to move so freely near our borders when the chunin exam is upon us in just a few months." Hiruzen's gaze narrowed in thought.

He would need to contact Jiraiya as soon as possible. He would be the only one who could collect the necessary Intel through his spy network. "Tighten up security near our borders and monitor every moment. If somebody tries to infiltrate our borders, take them into custody for interrogation."

"Hai, Hokage-Sama."

Hiruzen nodded. "You can submit your detailed report later, but for now, I want to talk about Naruto if you don't mind."

It had been quite a while since he'd had any interaction with Naruto. When he thought about it, it all started after he'd revealed to Naruto the secret of his parentage. He supposed he couldn't be surprised at the lack of trust Naruto had shown him since then. Those were the consequences he had to face.

But still, he considered Naruto his grandson in all but blood, and it was his duty to look after his wellbeing.

"He's carrying out his duties faithfully, Hokage-same," Tenzo started. "Though nowadays he seems a little restless. But nothing to worry about. I'm sure he'll be fine after a little break."

Hiruzen let out tired sigh and shook his head. "Tenzo, tell me your honest opinion about Naruto. He's been working under your supervision for the last three years. Do you think he is Anbu material?"

He had been thinking about his decision to let Naruto join the Anbu for quite some time now. He didn't doubt Naruto's capability; it was quite the opposite actually. Naruto had proven himself to be one of the best Anbu in the village. And he'd made quite a name for himself. All his subordinates admired and respected him.

But still, Hiruzen couldn't shake the feeling that letting Naruto join the Anbu had been a mistake.

"As I told you Hokage-sama, Naruto always carries out his duties faithfully and never lets his emotions get in his way during the mission. He never disobeys an order from his superior. A perfect candidate for Anbu if you ask me."

Hiruzen stood and walked toward the window to look out over the village. Even after so much chaos and hardship the village had seen in the past, it still stood strong and peaceful.

Nobody knew how long this peace would last though. After all, humans are creatures of greed. But it's was duty as the Hokage to maintain peace and he intended to do so as long as he lived.

"I still remember the time I told Naruto that I enrolled his name in the Ninja Academy. His eyes were full of happiness and innocence. Even after his life of ignorance and hate, he never failed to find happiness in small things." Hiruzen remembered the moment with a small smile.

"But now when I looked at the same boy, all I see is a battle-hardened shinobi with empty eyes, ready to eliminate anyone on a given order. Sometimes I wonder if I put too many expectations on him?"

"Naruto's life was never going to be easy," Tenzo said carefully. "But he's formed bonds with many people who can share his burden. Even in the Anbu there are many who look up to him and want to follow his lead. He can be a great leader in the future."

That is exactly what Hiruzen was worried about though-people expecting too much from Naruto. He was still in his early teens and already people were talking about his future, comparing him with Minato and Itachi. But if anyone really knew what he was going though now, no one was talking about it.

"There is so much of his old self that he keeps hidden. It saddens me that he only allows a handful of people to see that kind and caring side of his."

"Hokage-sama, I understand that you are worried about Naruto. But is there a reason you are bringing it up to me now?"

Hiruzen turned and look at him silently. "It's because I have given a lot of thought on to the matter and I have decided that Naruto will be not serving in the Anbu anymore."

Even beneath the mask, the Hokage could sense Tenzo's shock. "B-but Hokage-sama, you already released Kakashi from his Anbu duties. Now Naruto? What will happen to Squad Ro?"

"Kakashi was a different matter Tenzo, which I don't think I need to go into detail about at the moment. As for team Ro, I need your service elsewhere while the rest of the members of the squad will be split into different teams."

"It will disturb the dynamic of the team. They all work exceptionally well together." Hiruzen could tell that Tenzo was striving to keep his voice level and respectful.

Hiruzen nodded in understanding. He knew that Team Ro was one of his best and the most dangerous the Leaf village had to offer at the moment. "I understand that, but we have got quite a number of new recruits lately, and I want some of the best experienced Anbu to lead them. That is why I am splitting your squad. Meanwhile, you will act as my personal bodyguard from now on."

"I see... If you don't mind me asking Hokage-sama?" Tenzo waited for the Hokage's confirmation to continue. "Why not promote Naruto to team leader? He has all the qualities to be one."

"Even if Naruto possesses all the necessary qualities, I would not promote him to a team leader. In fact, I never meant for his service to be this long."

"Very well," Tenzo said, his voice resigned. "But I'm not sure Naruto will be happy hearing this."

"I'm sure he will not," Hiruzen chuckled despite the heaviness of the mood. "But I will inform him personally. Please let him know I request his presence."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Tenzo stated. "Is that all?"

"Yes, dismiss and I'll expect full detailed mission report later. Also, contact Jounin commander Shikaku Nara and notify him on the situation regarding our border."

"Hai." Tenzo bowed and flickered away to summon Naruto and bring the news to the rest of his squad members.

* * *

 **(With Naruto)**

Naruto dried his hair with a towel as he exited the bathroom after a hot relaxing shower and stood before the mirror with only his blank Anbu pants on.

Lean and muscular, he stood at 5'7, and all his baby fat was gone, leaving a strong jawline and serious demeanour. Despite the growth though, his hair still maintained its spiky look and no amount of combing would keep his bangs from falling over his right eye.

Naruto was pleased with the growth of his skills as well, but he was still far from satisfied. He was nowhere near the level he wanted himself to be.

Looking back, things had been hard when he'd first joined the Anbu. But with time, he'd developed a very good working relationship with them, and finally felt like he had a place there.

Yugao joining the squad had been blessing for him. She had made a lot of things easy for him even with the initial awkwardness between them after that kiss.

But Naruto was restless. He had joined Anbu to discover the complete truth of the Uchiha massacre and the secrets of the Kyuubi attack and he was nowhere near discovering those truths.

He had first thought he could find answers in the Root but he had turned up nothing there. That only left Itachi. But contacting him was a big problem and the Hokage was no help in the matter.

Naruto had seen the dark side of the Leaf village while working in the Anbu and the foundation, and he had learned a lot of dark secrets as well.

He had already known the level of distrust that had existed between the village and the Uchiha clan. But he now understood the depth of that distrust through old records he'd read, and the distrust, at least on the village's part, made sense to him.

The Sharingan has the ability to control the Bijuu and there were many ninjas who fought the beast that night who later reported seeing a Sharingan like pattern in the Kyuubi's eyes. It made sense that the village suspected the Uchiha clan for the attack.

But why would the Uchiha clan release a creature like the Nine-Tails and bring chaos like that in the first place? Even if it was just one member of the clan behind it, that one person had effectively called a disaster down upon their entire clan.

Naruto couldn't fathom any member who would have been so reckless. But there was still the possibility that it could have been the work of an Uchiha living outside the village, one who didn't have ties with the clan. But that too seemed unlikely.

Naruto sometimes wondered why he was even still searching for answers. It wouldn't bring his parents back. It wouldn't change the fact that they were dead and had sacrificed themselves for the betterment of others and left him alone.

He took a long calming breath and pulled on his fishnet armor and long-sleeved high collared black t-shirt. He seriously needed to stop thinking so much.

"Why did you have to ruin the view? I was enjoying myself." He glanced to the side and saw Yugao sitting on the bed with her arms folded and a pout on her face.

Even after all their time together, Naruto couldn't help but admire her beauty. Her purple hair was tied up in a high ponytail and she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

"I thought you would be gone by now."

"And here I thought you would want me to stay." She walked up to him and put her arms around his shoulders with a sly grin on her face. "I was planning to stay with you for the night."

"Why?" It wouldn't be the first time she'd be staying at his place. Despite their efforts, they had quickly realized they could not be just friends. But he still wasn't sure how to define what they had.

They had never declared their love for each other but their feelings were obvious in every one of their actions and they understood even if the words had never been spoken aloud.

Yugao was a strong woman and the way she handled herself and supported her mother after her father passed away a year ago was just one example. Naruto would never stop being proud of her.

"My mother will be at my grandparents' place for a few days, and I didn't want to be alone in the house. So I thought I would keep you company tonight _..."_ Her lips grazed the curve of his ear and her voice took on that sultry tone that drove him crazy.

Naruto put a finger on her lips, and his face wrinkled in distaste.

"What?" she asked, suddenly affronted.

"Yugao... what is that smell?"

Yugao's expression contorted in confusion before her eyes widened in shock. "No no no nooo..." she moaned and ran out of the room.

Naruto shook his head. _"Seriously, not again,"_ and quickly went after her.

The first thing he noticed when he reached the kitchen was a very pissed off Yugao standing and looking at the plate of burnt rice and fish that she'd apparently been cooking and which was now nowhere near eatable.

"Don't you dare say anything, Naruto! I don't wanna hear anything right now." She snapped at him with a glare and threw the food in the dustbin.

"Then stop using my kitchen for your ridiculous recipes. Seriously you can't just keep wasting food Yugao." Naruto checked the refrigerator and saw that it was practically empty.

"There's nothing in here." He sighed at the upset look on her face. She might be the most talented woman he'd ever met, but her skills definitely did not transfer to the kitchen. He didn't mind, but the troublesome woman really didn't know when to give up and admit defeat.

But it was something he'd gotten so used since Yugao had started spending her free time or most of her time at his house.

"I'm sorry." Yugao murmured in a low voice. "I just wanted to make some good food for you."

"Forget it, I'll go get some ramen for us or if you want we can go out."

Yugao shook her head and said. "No, that won't be needed. We have some instant ramen cups."

Naruto stared at her as she searched for the ramen cups couldn't help the smile that started to quirk the corners of his lips. Her attempts to make food without messing up were really funny sometimes.

Naruto grabbed her hand and turned her around to face him. "No need for that. Let's go out to dinner. Wherever you want."

Yugao looked at him with something like hopeful surprise. "Is it a date?"

But just when he was about to respond they heard the knock on the door. "I'll go see who it is."

* * *

He blinked in confusion to see his squad leader on the other side. "Tenzo... I was not expecting you. Is there an urgent mission?"

"No, we don't have a mission Naruto. But Hokage-sama has summoned you and the matter is important."

 _At this time?_ It was dark already and Naruto wondered what could be so important that the Hokage couldn't wait for tomorrow. "I'll be there," he responded and before he could say anything else, Tenzo vanished in a swirl of leaves.

He shook his head before going back inside to inform Yugao that they would not be having that date after all. That was disappointing.

"Who was it?" she asked.

"Tenzo. I need to report to the Hokage's office immediately."

"Did we get mission or something?"

"No, I don't think so. At least Tenzo said it wasn't a mission. Jiji must want to discuss something with me." He pulled on his open blue jacket over his t-shirt.

He then approached Yugao and gently tapped her forehead. "Maybe some other time for that date," he whispered.

Yugao smiled, but he could see that she was disappointed too. "Don't worry, I'll get some food before you come back," she said softly.

"That would be fine. But don't try to cook it up by yourself," he joked.

"GET LOST BEFORE I KICK YOU OUT." Naruto laughed at her outburst, and left behind a fuming Yugao.

* * *

 **(Hokage Tower)**

Naruto arrived at the Hokage's office door before he knocked and waited for permission to enter.

"Come in." He heard the voice of the Hokage and pushed the door open. "Naruto my boy... I've been waiting for you."

A small smile formed on Naruto's face upon seeing the kind expression on the Hokage's face. It had been a while since he'd met the Hokage like this. Recently, it seemed like the only time they spoke was when they were receiving their mission assignments.

His mind went to the memories of his early childhood days when he used to spend half a day in this office reading books or listening to old war stories from the Hokage. The drift in their relationship suddenly saddened Naruto.

He knew it had begun after he'd learned his parents' identities but it wasn't like he had been angry or anything like that. He supposed he'd just felt disappointed and let down at that moment.

But there were never any hard feelings towards the Hokage. After all, the man had done so much for him and had been with him throughout his life. He still held the same love and respect for him as he always had and that would never change.

"I hope I'm not disturbing your evening Naruto-kun."

"Not at all Hokage-sama," Naruto responded.

"That's good." With that, the smile vanished from the Hokage's face. He stared at Naruto for a good couple of seconds before he continued. "Well I don't know how to put this Naruto, but perhaps bluntly is the best. From now on, you will not be part of the Anbu forces."

It took some time for Naruto to register what he'd heard and when he did, his eyes widened in shock. Naruto was sure he'd been doing all his missions faithfully and had always been on his best behavior. He could have never expected this. After a moment to compose himself, he asked, "Can I ask the reason for this sudden decision?"

"Have you forgotten our deal Naruto?"

Naruto grit his teeth. He had not, but the Anbu has become like family to him. "Even still-"

"You have already done enough Naruto-kun. Because of you, we were able to restrict the movement of Danzo and his foundation. I can't put you at more risk than you're already in."

"Do you really believe that will stop Danzo from running his root program or coming after me?" Naruto frowned. He knew he had already made an enemy for himself in Danzo when he'd exposed the foundation's secrets to the Hokage. "He is not that sort of..."

"He _is_ that of a man. He will never lay a finger on you," Hiruzen asserted, "because you are more valuable than his grudge against you and he also knows the risk of doing anything like that."

"And what about the foundation's activities?"

"I want the foundation to continue as it is."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion. The Anbu training division under Danzo's direct control had a vast information network within the village. The thinking, the Philosophies totally differed from what the Leaf village was known for. So why would the Hokage allow a group like that to continue?

"Roots keep the Giant tree standing strong." Naruto whispered the words he had heard from Danzo many times. "Is that why you never disbanded the foundation fully even after the Uchiha massacre?"

"You have worked for the regular Anbu and the foundation Naruto, so I'm sure you know that they are two sides of the same coin. The difference is just that the foundation has inherited an undiluted version of Danzo's philosophy of protecting the peace with darkness."

"Even if that it is, why can't I continue in the Anbu? I have nothing to do with Danzo and his foundation and it's been years since I had any contact with the man."

Heaving a great sigh, Hiruzen slowly opened his mouth. "You think I don't see it Naruto, the way you've been putting so much pressure on yourself? And for what? Just for the quest of finding some truth."

"I can't quit now. I need to know what happened the night of the Kyuubi attack. How can a man who was the best seal master the world has ever seen fail to control the seal holding the beast?" He now glared at the Hokage.

"And how a boy no more than 14 years of age could eliminate a whole clan in mere hours, and still bypass the high security of the village. Even if he was getting help from you, it's hard to believe."

"You think there was someone who helped Itachi in his mission and that person could also be responsible for the Kyuubi attack?" the Hokage asked calmly.

Naruto remained silent, getting lost in his thoughts. Even if someone had helped Itachi, it still didn't make sense. The sharingan did have the power to control the Bijuu, but as far as he knew, only Madara Uchiha had been able to accomplish that feat in his fight with Hashirama Senju. No Uchiha since had come close to Madara Uchiha's strength.

But if someone within the clan did rival that strength, who could it be?

The Uchiha clan had lived in the village of Konohagakure since its founding. And he hadn't heard of anyone outside the Uchiha clan having the sharingan. Although there were exceptions like the Fourth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, and himself, they were still within Konohagakure.

If a kekkei genkai like the sharingan or the byakugan had been leaked outside the village, it would have been a serious affair for the entire nation. There was no way the village records wouldn't have mentioned it if it were known.

Also, there was no report of any Uchiha going rogue at that time. But that was even less likely the possibility. Since the founding of Konoha, only one person had ever broken away from the clan before the Kyuubi attack.

 _Madara Uchiha..._ At this point, if someone had said that Madara was alive, Naruto might have almost believed it, but he knew it couldn't be true.

And other things bothered him too. Naruto may not be at the level of Jiraiya and the Fourth Hokage in sealing art, but he knew enough to understand that his father could have used a different sealing method to seal the Kyuubi that didn't require him to sacrifice himself in the process.

So why didn't he?

Why did he use **Eight Divination Signs Seal** to seal the Kyuubi, knowing that the Bijuu chakra will leak into Naruto's own chakra? It's like his father wanted him to use the beast chakra for some reason.

That had to be why he used shiki fuujin to separate the yin and yang portions of the Kyuubi to help contain and control the chakra to some extent. It's like he had entrusted this power to his son. Had his father known something that other's didn't?

Naruto had spent hours and hours searching for clues that could unfold the secrets of the most terrifying night in the history of Konohagakure. He couldn't give up now. He had to make the Hokage understand that.

"I'm not saying that I am a hundred percent sure in my assumptions. It's only my hunch at the moment, but Itachi is the only one who could help me."

"That's the problem Naruto, I can't risk blowing up Itachi's cover just for your hunch. And I don't think you'll find answers there. The only people who would have known the real truth of that night are unfortunately no longer with us." Hiruzen said it so definitively that it angered Naruto.

"So you want us to do nothing and pretend nothing ever happened. That my parents wasted their lives for nothing. Is that what you want Hokage-sama?"

"Enough Naruto." The Hokage didn't have to raise his voice for his power to exert itself. "We are getting nowhere with this. My decision is final. You will continue as a regular Jounin from now on." He placed a Jounin vest on the table for Naruto.

Naruto stared at the green Jounin flak jacket. The moment he put on that jacket he would no longer be a part of the Anbu forces. "What can I possibly do as a Jounin? I hardly know anyone outside the Anbu."

The Hokage smiled. "Ohh...you don't need to worry about that my boy. You won't be going on missions straight away."

"Then what?" Naruto asked tentatively.

"The Jounin sensei of team 10, Asuma Sarutobi, will be away on a mission to the capital for a while and he requested someone to fill his role and look after his genins' training. So I'm appointing you as the sensei of team 10 until Asuma returns."

Naruto was dumbfounded. "This is absolutely ridiculous." His eye twitched in response. "I have never done something like this before. How am I supposed to look after some brats?"

"You'll be fine Naruto. After all, you had experience with teaching Konohahamuru," The Hokage assured confidently.

Blue eyes looked at the Hokage without blinking for a second with the look of confusion, anger and frustration. He had been in the Anbu almost since he had started his career as a ninja and whatever he was today was because of the Anbu.

And now he was forced to quit Anbu just to look after kids. How could the Hokage expect him to adjust to the role of sensei so suddenly? Anbu and Jounin were two totally different roles from each other.

The Anbu were trained to eliminate any given target without asking any questions. They were expected to be emotionless on the battlefield. They were taught that the mission is above anything, even their lives. How could someone like him lead a team of fresh genin out of the Academy?

The conflict inside Naruto's mind must have shown in his eyes because Hiruzen's expression softened. "I understand. But this is for the best Naruto. It's time you came into the light. You'll understand it in time."

"When will I start?" Naruto asked with a heavy sigh.

Hiruzen gave him a confident smile. "Tomorrow morning at 8:00 o'clock you'll find them on training ground 10." He handed a file over to Naruto. "This is the file on Team 10 and their mission reports so far."

Naruto took the file and arched an eyebrow at the identity of the genins. "Shikamaru Nara, that's Sensei's kid," he muttered to himself as he went through the rest of the reports. It seemed they had only completed D-rank missions so far.

"So, it's the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho." Naruto glanced up at the Hokage. "You sure you want someone with no experience to lead this team?" The Ino-Shika-Cho trio were not an ordinary team. They were clan heirs and if a wrong decision cost one of them their lives, it would be a huge loss for Konoha.

"I have full confidence in you Naruto. You will do absolutely fine."

"What about Team Ro?"

"I've already discussed the matter with your captain. You shouldn't worry about it."

Naruto nodded grimly. He should have guessed that Tenzo would already be aware of this. "Is that all Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen nodded. "Yes, tomorrow morning at 8:00 o'clock."

"Hai." Naruto bowed before he disappeared in a shunshin.

 _"I hope this is a new start for you Naruto_ , _"_ Hiruzen said.

* * *

 **(Next Morning)**

It was early morning in Konohagakure with a clear blue sky and the sound of birds chirping could be heard throughout the forest. Three young Genin sat comfortably in silence on a clearing surrounded by the trees.

The only female of the group sat with her back against a tree. She had fair skin, light blue eyes, and long platinum blonde hair worn in a ponytail, with bangs framing the right side of her face. She wore a purple outfit consisting of a high collared blouse and matching apron skirt, with bandages on her abdomen and legs.

A little distance from her sat a young boy with a rotund build, happily munching on chips with his eyes closed. He had swirl markings on his cheeks, identical to the rest of the Akimichi clan. He wore a green, short-sleeved haori with a long, white scarf over a white shirt, with a kanji for food on it. He also wore black shorts and bandages around his legs and forearms. His blue forehead protector was styled in a manner that allowed two tufts of hair to poke out at each side.

The last one was a boy, who laid on the ground with his eyes toward the sky, his expression suggesting boredom or irritation. He had shoulder-length black hair tied in a spiky ponytail. He wore a short-sleeved grey jacket, under which was a green-lined mesh armor T-shirt, and the Nara clan symbol was displayed on his sleeves. He also wore brown pants, a pair of silver hoop earrings, and wore his blue forehead protector around his left arm.

These were the members of this's year graduated Team 10, the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho under Jounin Asuma sarutobi. They were supposed to meet their new Jounin sensei in the absence of the current leader Asuma. But apparently, their new sensei was running late.

"Arrgh.. how long are we going to wait?" An annoyed voice came from the girl, as she threw her arms up and cried out in frustration. "It's already an hour past the time we were supposed to meet, whoever this Jounin is."

"A-hum.. but actually, Ino it's only been 15 minutes since we came here," the brunette boy said, correcting her but still concentrating on the bag of chips in his hand.

The girl snapped her head towards him with a mad look in her eyes. "Doesn't matter, he is still late." Her gaze shifted towards her other teammate, and her eyes started twitching.

"Shikamaru you lazy-bum GET THE HELL UP!" She shouted as a vein popped on her forehead. "I'm gonna get your mother if you don't wake up this instant."

"Tch... why do you have to be so loud and troublesome woman?" The black-haired genin groaned. "I thought I could get some extra sleep or just lay the whole day looking at the clouds. But no, instead I had to come here and listen to your nagging, and if I hadn't come then I would have had to listen to my mother's nagging."

He let out a tired sigh. "Such a drag." He closed his eyes. "Just thinking about it is so troublesome."

"Why do I have to deal with these two idiots?" Ino's shoulders slumped in defeat.

Just above them, hidden from the view, a blonde-haired figure clad in Konoha Jounin attire, was sitting on a tree branch looking down at them. He wondered how to approach them.

Team 10 led by Asuma Sarutobi, the former member of the twelve guardian ninjas of the fire lord. Naruto didn't know much about him personally but he had met the man a couple of times around the village. He was quite well known around the elemental nations for his skills.

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Naruto was nervous. It was an emotion he didn't know how to process. The thought of going back to the Hokage and requesting him to reconsider his decision had crossed Naruto's mind multiple times. Now, looking at the genins interact, he thought it again. On top of everything, he really didn't have the patience to go around with a bunch of annoying brats.

Naruto didn't know much about Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi other than them being a member of the original Ino-Shika-Cho and very good friends with Shikaku, so he didn't know yet how similar they were to their kids.

But the Nara kid really reminded him of Shikaku. He might even be worse. He wore the same expression, same attitude, and even had the same mannerisms. And if the records were true, the kid possessed a great mind just like his father.

Watching them, Naruto couldn't help but remember his own genin days and thought about how different his team seemed from this one. Of course, during his time, a genin's death percentage was quite high, so the ninjas had to consistently keep improving their skills even at a young age.

Looking at these young ninjas, he seriously worried about their safety. Compared to them, the previous generation of ninjas appeared much more prepared and capable. These kids weren't even aware that they were being watched from above. If they didn't improve, they would die, it was as simple as that.

After all, the world may seem peaceful, but Naruto knew the reality was totally different. Constant threats simmered beneath the surface, and the sooner these kids learned that, the better.

 _"I should ask for some advice from Kakashi. I heard he finally passed the genin team."_ With that thought, Naruto jumped down and landed silently.

"Ggaaa..." Ino jumped up in surprise at his sudden appearance. "H-hey who are you?"

Naruto didn't responded and took his time to analyze the shocked genins. He was really not impressed. "My first impression of you is that you're all pathetic as ninjas."

"Huhhh...what?" The three genins blinked in confusion for a couple of times and looked at each other.

"Didn't anybody teach you to always keep aware of your surroundings?" Naruto asked, not pleased. "I was sitting just above you on a tree and none of you could sense me? If I had been an enemy, you three would be dead by now."

"And who you are to lecture us like this?" Shikamaru questioned.

Naruto then noticed that each of them held a kunai at their back, ready to move. They're at least not as dumb as he had first thought. "I will be your new team leader until your sensei Asuma gets back. Let's start our introduction. Why don't you tell me your names, your likes and dislikes, and your dreams for the future."

"Such a drag..."

"Alright, let's start with the pineapple head one," Naruto began, jerking his gaze toward Shikamaru.

"Wait... if you were here the whole time then why the heck did you keep us waiting?" The girl questioned.

Naruto could already feel a headache coming. "Can we please get on with it, I don't have the whole day to waste like this."

"Troublesome... My name is Shikamaru Nara of the Nara clan." Shikamaru finished with a yawn. Naruto waited for him to continue but he didn't.

Without pressing, Naruto just nodded and motioned to the Akimichi kid.

"My name is Choji Akimichi, my likes are eating and spending time with my friends and I hate if someone makes fun me and my dream is to be a successful Jounin."

Naruto nodded in satisfaction that this one had at least introduced himself properly. Naruto motioned towards the final member of the squad to start.

"I'm Ino Yamanaka, I don't have one particular like to list, I hate when someone makes fun of others without any reason and my dream is to be a strong ninja like my father."

Naruto nodded. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki and you can call me senpai for the time being. My orders are to oversee your training until your sensei returns. Any questions you have?

"Yes senpai." Choji put his hand up. "Do you know when Asuma sensei will be back?"

"No, I wasn't told about that. Shikamaru, if you want to ask something just ask and stop staring at me like that."

"Never mind, I was just wondering where I've seen you before."

Naruto looked amused, sure he'd been to the Nara compound many times. But apparently this kid didn't know that his own father was Naruto's former sensei.

"Senpai, we are going to go on proper missions, right?" Ino looked at him hopefully. "We've been doing useless labor work form the past one month."

"It's up to Hokage-sama to decide, not me," Naruto replied, but he almost took pity on them. After all, he understood what it felt like doing those D-rank missions.

"Anyways, moving on to the important matters," Naruto said. "We need to prepare our formation. Also, I need to see where you all stand as ninjas, so that I can know how to go with your training."

"Troublesome...you want us to fight you don't you?" Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "Isn't there any other way for it, senpai?"

Naruto give him a smile. "I'm afraid not Shikamaru. We're doing it even if you don't like it."

"You sure senpai?" Ino chimed in. "You could get hurt."

"Well, I appreciate your concern Ino, but I'm a Jounin and I think I can take care of myself."

"Alright, you asked for it senpai."

Naruto jumped out of the way as a huge fat hand smashed at the place he had just been standing. "I haven't signaled the start Choji."

"Sorry," Choji muttered.

"Alright, ready whenever you are and remember, come at me with the intent to kill." He then watched as they took their stances. Just as a breeze flew past, the three launched a barrage of kunai over Naruto's head, starting the battle.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Finally it finished hope you liked it and alright with the time Skip. As we finished the chapter I would like to make some things clear so that you won't question it later is that from now on some of rookies may look out of character but not by much they will still have original personality .**

 **I'm talking about the likes of Hinata and Neji for example since Naruto won't be there to change their hearts. Also I don't se this Naruto going out of his way just to make a point to some kids you know.**

 **But mostly the characters will maintain their personality just a bit of changes nothing much.**

 **Also let me know your thoughts on this chapter and the story in general. And if you have ideas on what should I do more in the story please let me know you can PM me for that and.**

 **And please leave a REVIEW at the end. It really motivates me to keep writing.**

 **Thank you and good bye until next time.**


	18. Chapter 18

**NARUTO UZUMAKI - THE GREATEST PRODIGY**

 **CHAPTER 18**

* * *

 **NOTE:- Hello everyone welcome back to the story. I hope you'll doing good. I know some of you may be angry at me for not uploading the story for so long, for that I really apologise and I'll to be more frequent with the updates.**

 **Even after that the response I got from you guys was something that kept motivated and that is why I'm here with the new chapter for you guys. So thank you for your messages and reviews I really appreciate that. ( Now please enjoy the story)**

* * *

"Talking" - Normal person

 _"Thinking"_ \- Person inner thoughts

 **"Talking"** **\- Bijuu/Summons/Jutsu**

 ** _-"Thinking" - Bijuu/Summons_**

* * *

 **(Disclaimer:- I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. This is only for entertainment)**

* * *

It was a warm beautiful early morning in Konohagakure with a clear blue sky, not much people could be seen on streets other than some shopkeepers opening up their shops, starting their day while the merchants and dealers brought out their goods.

Soon enough the quieter streets started buzzing with life, as people filled the streets, starting their day-to-day life, as more and more people coming out of their houses to buy the goods.

In middle of all this, a girl was standing outside of a Dango restaurant, quietly with a noticeable frown on her face, her arms folded and her back leaning on the wall. She wore a black tank top under a tan vest, black skin-tight shorts and matching pair of black shinobi sandals. But the most noticeable feature was her fang like red tattoos on her cheeks.

Hana Inuzuka was not in very best of moods at the moment, which could be clearly seen on her face and her repeatedly tapping foot on the ground in annoyance. She had been standing on the same spot for the past half an hour, waiting for her old friends to show up.

They hardly got to spend time together like they used to, because of their responsibilities as ninjas and also with Naruto and Yugao being part of the Anbu forces, it was impossible to see each other like their genin days. So, once in a while they all came together to spend some time together, to relax and catch up. Hana sighed tiredly and leaned her back on the wall.

She was really looking forward to meeting her two best friends, it had been a while since she spent some time with Yugao and Naruto.

Thinking of Naruto, a sad smile appeared on her face. She hardly got to see him anymore, with him being always busy with his missions and training, and if she thought about it, it had been almost a month since she last saw him.

Hana remembered the time when she used to have secret crush on him, during the time when they were genins. Which was now funny when she thought about it, but still it was hard not to fall for him. But soon noticing the growing closeness between Naruto and Yugao she had to let go of her feelings in fear of compromising her friendship with Yugao.

Hana doubted that her feelings could ever be compared to Yugao's even in slightest. She chuckled lightly at that thought, Yugao had done so much for him, she has been like a pillar for him in every situation without asking anything in return.

She was just glad that Naruto finally returned the feelings Yugao deserved and if he ever hurt Yugao, well then nobody could save him from the wrath of Hana Inuzuka, even though he was her friend.

"What's with that look." And with that, her annoyed expression returned with full force, as she snapped her head and glared towards the person who spoke,

"Took you long enough you stupid women, do you even realize how long I've been waiting here."

"Let's just go Hana, you can get angry after we eat something." Yugao spoke apologetically and before giving Hana any time to respond, she grabbed her wrist and started dragging her inside the restaurant.

"Hey hey...wait Yugao, what about Naruto."

"He won't be joining us this time."

Hana frowned hearing that as they went inside the restaurant before Hana spoke again. "Why I'm not surprised, it's not like, this is the first time he had done something like this. Why won't he just say no, instead of making these excuses"

Sometimes she really didn't understand Naruto. If she didn't know Naruto better, she would have thought Naruto doesn't have any value for friendship at all. This is the third time he'd done this.

"No no no... I swear Hana, he's really busy this time with his new assignment."

"I've heard that before, try something new." Was the flat response Yugao got from her. "And why am I even arguing with you, you'll just keep making excuses for that jerk like always!"

"Would please give me chance to explain?" Yugao let out a tired sigh trying to get a chance to speak. "He's really busy with his new assignment by the Hokage-sama."

"Whatever..." Hana responded with a sigh, and knowing arguing with her wouldn't do any better, and she could tell from the look on her face, that she was not lying. "And what's up with you. You don't seem like the usual to me."

Yugao waved her casually before responding. "I'm just tired that's all, I hardly got any sleep last night."

"Another Anbu mission?"

"Actually, I was at Naruto's place last night and-." She didn't get to finish her sentence before Hana interrupted her.

"Aah… that's explains why you're late." Hana said with her eyes glittering and palms clapped together in excitement forgetting all about her bad mood. "Did your mother know that, you're sneaking out your house at late nights to sleep with your boyfriend?"

"W-what..."A heavy blush rose up on Yugao's cheeks, as her whole face turned red from the look she was receiving from her friend. "No t-that's not-…"

"I didn't know you two reached this far in your relationship, I'm soo proud of you Yugao." She squealed with delight.

"W-will you shut up and listen to me once." Yugao snapped at her embarrassed with small blush still present on her cheeks. "I just spend the night at his place. We didn't DO anything."

"Yeah...Like I believe you." Hana stated playfully as side of her lip twitched upward in a smirk. "Is he still sleeping, tired from last night activities. Though it's hard to believe that, that guy is ever going to get tired."

This whole time she spoke, Yugao just kept looking at her in embarrassment while noticing several faces looking at them, before she whispered harshly. "For a sec. Get your mind out of gutter and listen to me, you crazy bitch."

"Heheh..." Hana giggled lightly, trying to control herself from laughing out loud seeing the look of embarrassment on her friend's face. After a second or so she responded calmly. "Fine."

"Seriously it's not a joke Hana, he was so troubled last night that he hardly got any sleep."

"Is everything alright with him?" She asked.

"Well I don't know, yesterday Hokage-sama released him from the ranks of Anbu and appointed him as a Jonin sensei of a genin squad." Yugao confesses with a frown. "And believe me, he was really not happy with that decision."

"I told him we'll talk in the morning and before I could wake up he just left without saying anything."

Hana just sat there with a blank face having difficulty trying to process what she just heard. Anbu were the elite of elites and achieving the ranks of Anbu was not an easy goal to accomplish.

But for Naruto, making a place for himself in the Anbu had been far more difficult than the others. He had to face a lot of resistance not only from the high officials but from his fellow colleagues as well. Even she had been quite concerned at the start because of his age, when she got to learn Naruto was joining the ranks of Anbu.

But he had proved them all wrong, and earned their respect with his determination and commitment towards the village. His growing strength and achievements made his name spread like wildfire across the shinobi nations.

Now, Naruto's name considered among top ninjas like Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy. Some even said that he could become a candidate for the title of Hokage in future, if he continued to progress like this.

She had seen his struggle and hard work from the academy days, and how much pride he took being in the Anbu ranks. Because of that, she could understand what Naruto must have been going through.

But on the other hand, this also told, how much trust the third Hokage had in Naruto, to let him lead a squad of genin without any experience. But the question was, did Naruto believe in himself like the Hokage did.

* * *

 **(Training Field)**

A loud explosion rang out through the field, as the smoke covered the area and a moment later a figure jumped out of it unharmed before landing on the ground safely.

Naruto eyed his surrounding carefully, for any sign of his opponent. Slowly the smoke started fading, letting his vision clear. But still no sign of his opponent, "The skill level of genins coming out of academy has really gone down."

It had been an hour since the battle with the team 10 has started and the only thing Naruto could say he liked about them was their ability to work as team. At least they had the right mind-sets to be ninjas of Konohagakure. But so not much the skills to back that up.

This whole time, Naruto had been doing his best to hold himself back and give them every chance to show off their skills.

From what Naruto had seen so far, he could say that this team had the potential to be one of the best, if not the best. Their individual strength might not be at the level that he would've liked, but in given time he was sure they would get there, if guided properly.

The balance between brain and brawn. This was the most important element of Naruto's ideal ninja, maybe not as an individual but as a team they had that element all covered.

Suddenly Naruto's senses kicked in, and with his fast reflexes allowed him to jump backwards in time to dodge Choji's attack. Choji followed the dodge with a side kick aimed to his chest.

Before Choji could land the hit, Naruto grabbed his ankle and countered the attack with solid kick of his own, that connected with Choji's stomach, making him skid back on the ground so roughly that he couldn't stop the painful grunt escaping his mouth.

No matter how good a ninja worked in group, he needed to be ready for any situation and individually strong as well.

Because of that Naruto had decided to take them on separately to test their individual strength. With the help of his Shadow clones he had successfully separated the three, where they couldn't help each other.

They might have been good in a team, but as individuals these genins wouldn't survive a day out in the field. He was seriously questioning the intentions of the academy instructors.

"You're quite strong compared to your teammates in regards of physical strength, still there is no real intent in your strikes at all, which makes me question your ability as a ninja of Konohagakure. So tell me why do keep holding back your attacks."

"I just don't like hurting others." Choji muttered and held his stomach in pain, blood coming out from the corner of his mouth.

Naruto just stood there looking at struggling Choji, clearly not amused with his attitude. "You can get your teammates killed with that kind of attitude of yours. Is that what you want, huh?"

"N-no, I will n-never l-let my friends get hurt." Just as he finished speaking, they heard a very loud explosion coming from the forest and a moment later Choji saw a large cloud of smoke where the explosion took place.

"Are you sure about that." Choji looked at him confusingly before his eyes widened in fear seeing the ice cold blue eyes and light smirk on Naruto's face, which for some reason sent shivers down his spine. Suddenly everything went quiet around the area.

"What's going on?" Choji looked around in confusion seeing everything still, there was no sound of any battle or birds. Not even the leaves were moving.

It was like time has stopped and a very uneasy feeling started crawling up to him, when he heard whisper which could barely reach him. "Ch-hoji." He then again looked around seeing no one, not even Naruto.

"C-choji..." Again he heard the voice. This time more clear than before.

Choji looked around in confusion for the source of the sound, before his eyes landed on his long time friend and teammate, making his eyes widen even further with the condition his friend was in.

He could barely form words to speak, seeing his friend limping towards him, with blood flowing heavily from the multiple wounds and supporting his right broken arm. "N-naruto-taichou help him." He somehow manages to speak, but couldn't find him.

"SHIKAMARU." Choji ran up to him seeing his long time friend collapse halfway through. "H-hey get up Shikamaru."

"Get awa-y from h-here. H-he'll kill you."

"Don't worry Shikamaru, I'll call some help."

"What makes you think, I will allow that?" Choji looked on half shock and half confusion seeing the injured lying figure of his friend slowly disappeared to nothing. His eyes become narrowed and glared towards Naruto, who was standing at the same spot he was a moment ago.

"What did you do to Shikamaru..."

Naruto's expressions remained same as he continued to stare at Choji. "Look what happened because of you, if you fought me seriously then your friends wouldn't have gotten hurt, didn't you tell me you would never let your friends get hurt. Just look at yourself. How can you call yourself a leaf ninj-"

"S-shut up." Choji hissed loud enough for Naruto to listen, making Naruto to look at him curiously for a sec.

"You still believe you can save them with your strength, a weakling like yo-"

"I SAID SHUT UP..." Shouted Choji and run straight towards Naruto, with his fist pulled back and delivered a wild punch, which went right through Naruto's body and collided with tree making it crack.

"Just sleep for now, I already wasted too much time on this." He heard a Voice from behind and before he could even blink Naruto knocked him out swiftly. "Kid can't even detect a low rank genjutsu."

Naruto sighed looking down at Choji. "The others should've also finished by now." He whispered before picking Choji up carefully. "What have I gotten myself into..."

* * *

 **(With Shikamaru - Some minutes ago)**

Shikamaru breathed heavily while struggling to catch Naruto in his shadow. With his already low chakra reserves he knew this was going to be troublesome from the start.

Going up against a Jonin, Shikamaru knew that he didn't stand a chance against the more skilled and experienced opponent. But this was not a case of who's stronger than who, this was just a test.

They had been holding their ground pretty well, before Naruto successfully managed to separate them to fight one on one. Shikamaru was already on his last leg since he has already used up a lot of chakra and so far all of his tactics had ended up useless against Naruto. He wasn't going to last much longer, that much he knew.

His mind was telling him give up when the result was obvious, but he was kind of having fun battling Naruto. It was like he was playing shogi with his father.

Shikamaru's fighting style was more of analyst then brute force, he liked to be two steps ahead of his opponent. But fighting Naruto felt like he already knew what move he was going to make, which was frustrating but exiting as well.

"You're pretty useless at the moment, if you don't have anything else than this shadow jutsu and with no one to back you up" Naruto commented when he saw the shadows retreating back.

Shikamaru's fighting style was more suited for support rather than offense. So he had no shame in admitting being powerless in front of his opponent.

"Though I admit your strategies and the way you analyse your opponent is not something expected from a kid your age."

Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief noticing Naruto's posture relaxing to speak. He eyed his surroundings for a second before his eyes landing on Naruto again. "I remember you now."

Naruto raised a single eyebrow at him with a question look. "And...?"

"You were on my father's genin team with Kiba Inuzuka's elder sister, weren't you? I knew I saw you somewhere before." Shikamaru stated.

"Indeed, I was on the same genin squad under Shikaku Nara." Naruto said. "But I don't think that has anything to do with this fight."

"No, it doesn't." He responded with a smirk. "I was just curious that's all."

"Well now then if your curiosity has died down, shall we continue? Since I don't have whole day to waste on you guys." Just as Naruto finished speaking he had to jump to the side to avoid a barrage of kunai with explosive tags attached to it.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom. The tags exploded one after another, covering the area with smoke for a while.

Naruto quickly summoned fistful of shuriken before flipping back on to a tree and launching them towards the direction of another barrage of kunai coming out of the smoke.

All the kunai collided in between before deflecting each other to a different direction and slamming into nearby trees.

Just as he was about to jump forward to counterattack, his body became stiff forcing him to his place. Naruto struggled to regain control over his body but despite all the effort his body didn't respond to his command.

Naruto then was forced to look towards Shikamaru, who couldn't hide the smirk on his face. "Shadow possession jutsu complete."

"You used the distraction caused by the smoke and used the shadows of the trees to hide your Shadow and trap me from behind." Naruto said, impressed with the strategy he used.

"My shadows aren't fast enough to keep up with your speed. Because of that, attacking you head on was pointless" Shikamaru admitted before he continued. "So, I had to get you close enough where I could use the shadows of trees to help extend my range to trap you from behind."

Naruto had to admit that he had underestimated the kid, behind all the act of laziness he possessed a very sharp mind which could outsmart anyone. Or maybe it was his lazy attitude which fooled the opponents to underestimate him.

Whatever it was, Naruto couldn't deny the fact that the Nara kid was smart. He continued to eye Shikamaru, unable to move his body. "So what now?" He asked. "Just because you trapped me, doesn't mean that you won."

Shikamaru let out tired sigh hearing his comment and muttered. "What a drag..." He looked at Naruto for moment and couldn't stop the grin coming on his face and spoke. "The fight's finished the moment you got trapped."

Before Naruto could respond to his comment Shikamaru moved his right hand and placed it inside his weapon pouch action followed by Naruto, but his was on opposite of Shikamaru, and took out a single kunai.

"I wasn't just randomly throwing kunai for you dodge them." He said while pointing out all the kunai stabbed among the various trees around them. "While pushing you back I was also setting up a trap."

Naruto followed his gaze around and saw a very thin wire attached to all the kunai making web around them. "I'm really not surprised. This kid could give some chunin and even jonin level ninja a run for their money."

With a swift motion of his arm Shikamaru cut the wire as Naruto just continued look on. Seeing that the wires got tangled together closing the web, Shikamaru's eyes got wide in shock as a wire wrapped around his ankle.

"W-what...?" Shikamaru looked on in shock and confusion as the web of wires closing in and trapping him instead, while making his Jutsu come undone.

Naruto relaxed and rolled his neck after getting the control back and jumped down the tree before strolling towards Shikamaru who was caught in between the wires in an awkward position.

"That was a pretty good plan. It would've certainly worked if I hadn't noticed it before."

With his arms and legs wrapped in wires Shikamaru couldn't help and ask in shock. "When did you set up this trap? I'm damn sure my targets were bang on."

Naruto chuckled at his obvious question and decided tell him. "I was bit confused seeing the of range your shadows so limited despite the sun being right behind you but after a while your range started to increase which got me thinking, that you were doing it on purpose to force me back-" He stopped himself for a moment to look around.

"And while you were throwing your kunais setting up the trap. I just change some of their directions without you noticing." Naruto finished and wanted to laugh at dumbfounded expressions on Shikamaru's face.

"Man, what a drag, all this work for nothing" Shikamaru moaned tiredly and looked at Naruto with hopeful eyes and asked. "Hey… can you get these wires off me, it's really annoying."

Naruto couldn't help but just laugh at that and patted Shikamaru on the head. "Don't worry your other two teammates must have finished by now. So, you just relax and enjoy for a bit."

With that Naruto just puffed out without another word. While Shikamaru eyes widened in disbelief and anger. "Ohh... come on."

* * *

 **(With Ino)**

"Ahhh..."Ino shouted as she tried to kick Naruto on the side which got blocked with little efforts. She didn't know what do anymore and was really getting frustrated at seeing her strikes getting blocked. She didn't land a single hit yet.

"Stop embarrassing yourself and just give up." Naruto taunted increasing her anger more.

"You called me weak." She growled at him in anger, yet again her punch got deflected to the side like it was nothing. "I'm not gonna stop until I prove you wrong."

What angered her even more is that Naruto wasn't even trying to fight her seriously. Ino had always considered herself as a strong and confident individual who liked to take charge in every situation, she might not be as strong as Choji or as smart as Shikamaru but Ino had never felt so humiliated in her life. She deserved to be treated as a ninja should.

"You're just wasting your time." Naruto spoke. "This is not some kind of fantasy world that you have created in your head. Most genin don't even live past their first ever mission outside the village."

"Just look at yourself. I can already tell you pay more attention to your looks than training, you don't even know what it means to be a ninja and I have no respect for your kind. So, do yourself a favour and just quit."

Tears started threatening to fall from her eyes, no one had ever talked to her with such disrespect the way Naruto was talking. All his words were like punches on the face and she couldn't describe how hurtful it was, but deep down she knew everything he said was true.

Fighting with Naruto she felt alone which she never felt in her life. Ino had always had people around her, who would protect her no matter what. A feeling of bitterness rose within her when thinking of her past.

Ino wondered if she could have taken a different approach, if she had put more efforts in her training rather than trying to impress a boy who wouldn't even glance at her.

And for what? Just because of some stupid rivalry with Sakura, just to prove she's better than her. Ino wished she had paid more attention to what her father and teachers were trying to teach her. Then maybe she wouldn't be feeling so useless as she was right now.

If Naruto had been an actual enemy, Ino was sure she wouldn't have survived a second, and died a worthless death. She didn't even dare to think if something happened to her teammates because she was not strong enough to protect them.

Ino didn't remember how long she has been fighting Naruto but as the fight continued something snapped inside her, which she ever felt in her life. The will to get stronger to protect her friends and family.

"Help me" Ino suddenly spoke with her eyes full of determination.

"What...?" Caught off guard at her sudden request Naruto grabbed Ino's wrist and saw her whole body shaking before he could say anything. Naruto noticed tears falling from her eyes and freed her wrist.

Ino dropped down to her knees and continued to cry while Naruto just stood there in silence not knowing what to do and just looked on awkwardly. His words may have been harsh but all he had said was true.

"Please h-help me get strong. I don't want to be weak anymore." She was sniffing as tears fell freely.

Feeling like a dick for making her cry Naruto crouched down to her level before speaking softly. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Ino shook her head while wiping her tears away and said. "No, what you said was all correct. B-but now I want to change that, that's why I'm asking you to help me improve."

"As your squad leader, it's my job to look after your training. " Naruto looked at Ino carefully before speaking. "But remember that, it won't be easy. You have to work harder than anyone in this team.

"I'm prepared for it." Her eyes burned with determination when she said that. "I want to earn other's respect as great ninja. I want to make everyone proud of me."

"Alright than." Naruto stood up and extended his hand to Ino for support, who accepted it with a large grin. "It's time to head back and join the other two."

"Hai..." Ino whispered and followed Naruto closely.

* * *

"Auumm..." Choji let out a light groan as he felt a pain around neck area which forced him to open his eyes.

He blinked several times trying to adjust to the light and rubbed the back of his neck softly and mumbled something trying to make out his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was raging at Naruto before he lost his consciousness.

Choji's eyes widened when he remembered the image of injured Shikamaru he quickly stood up and frantically looked around just when he turned back to look, his eyes landed on particular figure and screamed in surprise. "SHIKAMARUUU..." and again fell back.

"Jeez... keep your voice down Choji." Shikamaru said in irritation, still trapped in the wires. "It's already troublesome hanging like this."

"Wh-what the heck Shikamaru, I saw you before you were heavily injured and barely able to walk and how did you get in there." Choji was sure he wasn't imagining things before but the Shikamaru in front of him was absolutely fine.

All he had was tears on his clothes, a few scratches and wired keeping him in an awkward position. Other than that Shikamaru was absolutely fine.

"What on earth are talking about." Shikamaru asked in confusion. "More than that why the heck are you still talking instead of helping me get out of this troublesome thing."

"Ohh... sorry." Choji quickly went up to him before picking up a kunai from the ground and cut the wire freeing Shikamaru."

"Good to have you back with us Choji, Shikamaru." A voice said getting their attention.

They turned towards the source of the sound and saw Naruto standing with Ino to his side who was busy giggling softly at scene front her.

"You were looking so funny Shikamaru."

"Shut up Ino." Shikamaru grunted and glared at Naruto trying to make an intimidating look.

Naruto just waved him off before looking towards Choji and asked. "How are you feeling Choji."

"I felt a little dizzy but I'm fine now." Choji replied before he asked. "But taichou I'm sure I saw Shikamaru badly injured, but he is perfectly fine?"

Naruto sighed and told them to settle down before continued speaking. "That wasn't real, it was just low level genjutsu… I thought you guys were already taught to notice change in your flow of chakra."

"We weren't taught that yet. Asuma sensei only focused on how to improve our teamwork." Shikamaru informed him.

"But that is something you're supposed to learn in the academy?"

"They would have known, if they weren't running from the academy all the time and getting in trouble with Iruka sensei." Ino said making both of them to look away.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a long breath. "Alright," And said. "You guys really need to take your training seriously. This is not some kind of a game."

"Every time you step out of this village walls, your lives will be at risk. Out there all you can rely is your skills and teammates. Just think about your family and friends how crushed they would feel if something happened to any of you."

They looked down in sadness understanding what Naruto meant. "I'm not saying that just to scare you. But to make you guys realize that your ignorance could cost you your lives."

"Choji you are the strongest in this team but what's the use of that strength if you're not willing to use it." Naruto looked Shikamaru and said. "Shikamaru you can't fight an opponent by standing on same spot, you are talented and smart but what's the use if you don't have the physical strength to back it up."

Naruto's gaze shifted towards Ino who looked down in shame not meeting his eyes. "You can't just stand behind your teammates and hope they will save you Ino. There will come a time when you have to take the charge and help your team. That's what teamwork means."

He shook his head seeing their faces down and said. "Just think of what I said and always remember that the life of a ninja is full of sacrifices, it will never be easy."

Naruto realized he had said enough and noticed the three of them taking his words seriously. Naruto just hoped that they realize their flaws and work to better themselves. Because when fighting them Naruto had seen they all had potential to surpass their parents and make a name for themselves.

Naruto took out a scroll and unsealed something from it. The 'POOF' sound got their attention. Naruto walked up to them. "Here take this." Handing them tree boxes of lunch. "Finish this up and rest to get your energy back. Then we can start your training."

They took the boxes gratefully without saying anything and watched him walk away and sit down resting his back against a tree and close his eyes.

Ino seeing that got up and walked up to him. Naruto snapped his eyes open when felt a presence near him and saw Ino standing nervously in front of him and said. "What...?"

Ino shifted nervously then slowly offered him some food from her lunch box. "I noticed you don't have any lunch box for yourself. If you want, I can share with you."

Just as she said that Shikamaru and Choji also came around before settling beside Naruto quietly, seeing that Ino also sat down in front of Naruto. "It's our team rule we always eat lunch together and you're also a part of this team now." Shikamaru said.

"I appreciate that." Naruto said as he took small bite. "But I don't usually eat anything at this time of a day. So, don't worry about me."

They nodded in understanding and sat there eating their lunch while making small conversation among them. Naruto just sat quietly listening to them.

"Can I ask you something?" Ino asked Naruto.

"Yeah..."

"You don't look much older than us. So how come you are a Jonin?"

"I'm 16 years old but age has nothing to do with ranks. In fact, there are ninjas who are younger than you guys but far stronger than me." Naruto stated making their eyes widen.

"What...?" Choji said with his eyes wide. "No way that's possible."

"Yeah it is. That life outside of the village is very different. That's why you have to be prepared before you head out."

They set there and continued to talk and asked Naruto some questions to get to know him to get comfortable with each other. This continued for a while before they left Naruto to go and rest.

While Naruto just set there alone writing a report. Never in his life he had thought that he would leave the Anbu to look after some young genins.

Naruto shifted his eyes on side to see Shikamaru sleeping on the ground while Choji and Ino slept with their back resting against the tree.

There was a time when things were same during genin days with his team. Those were some of the happiest days of his life. When he looked at these kids he couldn't help but respect the bond they shared.

Now they were his responsibility and he would do his hundred percent to help them improve as ninjas in whatever time he got with them.

Naruto finished his report and rolled up the scroll before he pocketed it and stood up. He looked at them sleeping and couldn't stop the smile coming on his face and left.

Naruto arrived back a moment later with bucket full of water and threw it on them as they woke up in surprise. "Alright, rest time is over."

"WHY THE HECK YOU HAVE TO THROW WATER ON US..." came the scream from Ino.

* * *

 **(Hokagee Tower - Some Hours Later)**

Naruto stood in front of the third Hokage. The Hokage's eyes scanned through the scroll before he addressed Naruto. "I hope you're adjusting comfortably in your new position."

"I'm trying to fit in." Naruto responded truthfully.

Hiruzen nodded with a kind smile and said. "Don't worry my boy you'll be perfectly fine. I have full confidence in you."

Naruto was surprised with amount of trust the Hokage had in him and was grateful getting a compliment from the one he looked up to as a grandfather figure.

"So tell me how was your first experience with team 10?"

"It went pretty well compared to what I expected." Naruto admitted and said. "At the start I didn't know how I was going to react towards them. Guess, I just went with the flow." Naruto muttered the last part to himself.

"I can understand that." Hiruzen nodded and looked at Naruto. "But from what I can see in the report you submitted, I'd say you did an excellent job in analysing their strength and weaknesses."

"The kids have potential that must I could say. Their teamwork is excellent without a doubt but as an individual their skills are very limited."

Hiruzen sighed and closed his eyes for second. "It's the same thing Asuma mentioned in his report and said they lack focus."

"During the training they said that Asuma was focusing on improving their teamwork. So, I was thinking I should work on their individual skills." Naruto said. His time with them was limited so he didn't want to waste it on something they were already good at.

"You have my full backing Naruto and I'm sure Asuma will also appreciate you looking after his team."

"I'm just doing my job Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen laughed at his response and looked at Naruto. "Don't forget to enjoy your time Naruto."

Naruto nodded and wanted to ask something but hesitated to continue. Hiruzen seeing that motioned Naruto to speak. "I wanted to know, will I ever be able to join Anbu again?"

Hiruzen was taken back a little by his question and responded harshly. "I think we have already talked about this matter Naruto. You have served enough from within the darkness, it's time for you to come into light."

Naruto didn't want to get in an argument with him again, so he just nodded his head. "Can I leave now, I've already written down the full details in the report."

"Alright, you can go." Hiruzen sighed and watched him bow in respect before leaving without a word.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Finally its finished, took lot of time then intended and hopefully it was good and you guy have enjoyed it. That's all that matters.**

 **Now let's talk about the chapter a little bit or more specifically Ino. I know some of you may complain that she has accepted her flaws to easily when she was soo fixed on Sasuke.**

 **About that let me clear one thing, Ino is my personal favourite and I love Naruto × Ino because of that I can't write her character as useless fangirl who was too stubborn to listen to anybody. So yeah, it was my personal reasons.**

 **Also in future I may come up with new story with Naruto × Ino.**

 **Soon the cannon events going to start and a lot of familiar faces will be introduce in the story so stay tuned for that.**

 **AND PLEASE LEAVE YOUR REVIEWS OR ANY SUGGESTION YOU GUYS WANT TO SHARE.**

 **See you guys next chapter...**


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